构建食品工业可持续发展新模式

枫叶——这两个词让人联想到灿烂的秋叶, 高高飘扬的骄傲的加拿大国旗，或者欢呼的多伦多NHL球迷. 但对许多人来说，它们也代表着 可持续的蛋白质.

Commercial Banking client 枫叶食品 is a meat- and plant-based protein brand that’s working to become the most 可持续的蛋白质 company in the world. And while the publicly traded company has over a century in meat production—one of its predecessors even helped 多伦多 earn the nickname ‘Hogtown’—枫叶食品 is set on the future of the food industry.

构建新的食品模式

Maple Leaf’s sustainability commitment is more than just words on a website or fancy packaging. 这米西索加, 这家总部位于安大略省的客户正在认真对待自己的目标, becoming the world’s first major carbon-neutral food company in 2019 and the only food company in Canada to set 基于科学的目标 in 2019. 其中一个目标是:到2030年将温室气体排放量减少30%.

为了实现这个目标, 枫叶正在建设具有环保意识的生产设施, 可持续地生产肉类并提供植物性蛋白质. 

“The day I knew that we became carbon-neutral and that our investments in so many high-impact projects throughout North America were doing their job to protect the planet was truly one of the most satisfying and proud days of my career,迈克尔·麦凯恩说, 枫叶食品公司的总裁兼首席执行官.

The company’s sustainability efforts also ranked Maple Leaf second globally against meat, 家禽, FAIRR倡议中的乳制品和养殖鱼类公司 2020年蛋白质生产商指数 and, along with just two other companies in the world, recognition as a “Low Risk” food producer. 

作为“从农场到餐桌”的公司, 枫叶食品 recognizes the unique challenges raising livestock brings to managing its carbon footprint. 具体地说, 该公司正在努力减少甲烷, 其生产过程中最重要的温室气体来源.

“We’re exploring exciting approaches to capture methane and convert it to renewable natural gas, 是什么从根本上决定了我们的足迹,麦凯恩说. “我们也在推进我们在再生农业方面的知识和实践, 哪一种耕作方法侧重于改善每个农场的资源, 而不是耗尽它们. 我们的一些努力包括表层土壤再生, 改善水循环，增加生物多样性."

枫叶也在寻找新的方法 让肉更好吃. 麦凯恩, “making meat better” means improving food quality while also increasing sustainability practices.

“We’ve renovated our products to use to simple ingredients that people can understand,麦凯恩说. “我们还专注于我们的动物护理实践, 比如搬到开放式猪舍, fitting our transport trucks with hydraulic lifts for pigs and shifting to climate-controlled trucks for chicken transport.”

McCain hopes Maple Leaf’s advancements will prove to other leaders that carbon neutrality is possible in the food industry. 

“Science-based targets are possible—and you can do all this and be profitable,麦凯恩说. “最重要的是, we don’t want to stand alone as a carbon-neutral company and believer in science-based targets; we want to become part of an inclusive group of sustainability leaders who embrace these same initiatives.”

这是一种超越社会责任的商业策略.

“共享价值观是我们公司领导价值观的一部分, 我们的商业和社会决策是紧密交织在一起的,麦凯恩说. “Our social decisions consider business impact, and business decisions consider social impact. 在这个框架内, we view carbon neutrality as the correct social decision and the correct business decision, which creates a virtuous circle where social and business decisions reinforce one another.”

实现这一共同价值框架需要几十年的时间, but it especially came into focus for McCain at a future of food discussion with global activists at a Davos luncheon. At that discussion, the activists predicted the demise of Maple Leaf’s industry, McCain said.

“无视这场气候变化危机的生存威胁, 以及我们在其中的角色, 会是最终的过失行为吗,麦凯恩说. “我们的选择很明确:通过捍卫我们正在做的事情来忽视问题, 或者接受问题并做出改变. But we also needed to make it worthwhile to shareholders by monetizing our environmental leadership where we possibly could.”

合作实现远大目标

Maple Leaf’s move toward sustainability hasn’t been an effort they’ve had to tackle completely alone. 去年，J.P. 摩根 extended an ESG-linked credit facility—the first of its kind in Canada—to the company. 

“J.P. 摩根 has been an incredible partner for Maple Leaf because we have a shared commitment to sustainability,麦凯恩说。. 众所周知，与esg相关的信贷安排[J.P. 摩根] extended to us in recognition of our efforts will provide incentive to other companies on the same path we are on, 并提供额外的, 对可持续发展领导的切实奖励.”

Maple Leaf is using the credit facility to support its growth in both meat and plant production. These growth initiatives include constructing a $720 million technologically advanced and animal welfare-focused 家禽 plant in London, 安大略.  Maple Leaf also put its ESG credit facility toward acquiring and retrofitting a food processing plant in 印第安纳州ianapolis, 印第安纳州.该工厂将生产植物蛋白豆豉.

多元化发展以提高可持续发展的影响

Making better meat and reducing the environmental impacts of their facilities isn’t the only way 枫叶食品 has become a leader in food production sustainability. The company has also embraced diversifying its protein offerings to meet consumer interest and their sustainability goals. 

麦凯恩说，枫叶的核心永远是一家蛋白质公司, 幸运的是, 该公司的产品组合能够适应消费者的偏好. 

“Satisfying the evolving needs of consumers is good for business and for the environment,” he said. “我们知道植物蛋白比肉类饮食的碳足迹更小, 但肉类消费也是我们文化的一部分，具有独特的营养价值.” 

By broadening their protein offerings and providing both innovative and great-tasting products, 枫叶食品不仅减少了公司自身的碳足迹, 但他们也把自己的消费者带来了.

麦凯恩说:“可持续发展是一段旅程，而不是终点.