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COP28’s Food Declaration and the Supply Chain

December 2023

In the ongoing COP28 Summit taking place in the United Arab Emirates, for the first time, more than 130 countries have signed a Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems and Climate Action and thus, have agreed to reduce the harmful environmental impacts of the food system by shifting to more sustainable production.

Many in the climate industry have welcomed this news, with Edward Davey the head of research group World Resources Institute UK saying it is time to “shift the global food system in the direction of greater sustainability and resilience’ [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-67594303]

But what exactly does that mean?

Resilience is often the buzzword when discussing sustainability with regard to the Supply Chain, and that’s partly because in recent years, extreme weather events have become much more commonplace, but it’s also because as a society we are waking up to the fact that practices need to change if we have any hope of meeting the global Net Zero targets. In order to ensure longevity of your company, adopting sustainable practices particularly around food systems, has become essential.

Food production currently makes up a third of the world’s greenhouse emissions, and in the UK specifically, there is a feeling that policies will soon be enacted to require food businesses to report on food waste, so reducing stock waste and obsolescence has never been more critical.

How does a planning solution help?

Implementing a planning solution is the best way to gain visibility across your entire value chain, which will give you valuable insights into where your inefficiencies are. From a sustainability perspective, implementing any module of a solution like sofco Planning can help you decarbonise your Supply Chain [see the breakdown here].

Not only would this set your business in good stead for the long term, but it would also result in reduced costs overall as you gradually phase in new sustainable practices, prioritising analytics, and outcomes to ensure the maintenance of results such as operational output and customer service levels, rather than overhaul your entire system. It will also ensure resilience and longevity as the Supply Chain navigates this uncertain time.

If a Supply Chain planning solution sounds like something your business could benefit from, get in touch via the contact page where a member of the sofco team would have happy to have a conversation with you about your challenges.

Trusted by our clients

“Greencore is involved in multiple categories, supplying a diverse range of products with different characteristics that require very different manufacturing processes. We selected sofco as they have an End-to-End planning and execution system that can be configured easily to fit these disparate demands. Our approach is much more sophisticated and collaborative now.”

Chris Chestney

IT Business Partner, Greencore

“What impressed us most about the sofco people was they understood our business, listened, and would bring a lot of experience to the project. They brought solid solutions to the issues we presented them with. It was clear from the outset that we were going to be able to work well together as a team and deliver this project. That is exactly what has happened.”

Barbara Van den Berg

Project Manager, Van Geloven

British Bakels

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