Innovation

Sustainability is a pillar of Campbell's business model, and the food waste reduction initiatives spearheaded by John Lillard integrate into this model perfectly. John’s passion pushed him to begin researching and learning more about reducing food waste. In regards to his findings, he stated that ”if I know this information and I am not doing anything about it then I am being negligent about it.“ His perspective on this urged him to use this knowledge to work towards initiating and implementing better practices at Campbell’s.

The process begins with analyzing the needs of different departments. From there the team must look for the most sustainable ingredient choices, but also must ensure that they are conscientious of consumers choices. From there, the team must oversee that the entire production process is done in a sustainable manner. They monitor to check if there is a reduction in water consumption, lowering of food waste and reduction of energy usage. After this, when waste arises from the process, the team ensures that as little as possible goes to the landfill. They try to divert the waste to either animal feeds or biogas generation base on the type of food.

The correlation between these initiatives and the UN goal of responsible consumption and production is easily spotted. Through this innovation, Campbell's ensures that the food production process is sustainable from start to finish.

Inspiration

John Lillard's journey truly shows the power of one. After learning more about sustainability and food waste initiatives, he was able to push for better food waste practices at Campbell’s. Thus innovating the process and creating a more sustainable food production system. This whole process started with John’s passion for reducing food waste. It began with observing farmers and the waste produced. He then sought changes that could be applied to minimise waste. This process led to him conducting even more research on the topic of sustainability and reducing food waste. His research created a deeper understanding of the topics mentioned. He then pushed to increase awareness of both sustainability and food waste reduction within the Campbell Company of Canada.

John has a real passion for sustainability and food waste reduction. He spearheaded this initiative as he wanted to “give people at the plants a reason to believe and a reason to make changes” when it came to the entire food production process. He chose to share his knowledge on the topic to spread this awareness. Once individuals at the plants understand the topic of sustainability, they understand what the impact of sustainable practices is. These individuals become more likely to buy in and be happy about participating in sustainable practices. This ranges from saving water during production, turning off the lights when they do not need to use them and in general, feeling better about going above and beyond to bring benefits to others.

Overall impact

In the short-term, many costs are cut, energy and water usage are reduced, and waste is diverted from landfills. In the long term, this whole process has spearheaded change on a larger scale. Recycling and reusing materials can lead to additional revenue. This whole process increases efficiency and decreases costs. Furthermore, new objectives are set in place for saving energy, water and on waste. Recycling has increased, the amount of food wasted has decreased, the amount of materials being sourced in a sustainable manner has increased. There is also an increase in the knowledge surrounding sustainable practices by employees at the plants.

To track how well this initiative has been doing, KPIs (key performance indicators) have been put in place. They are hitting their targets with regards to energy, water and food waste. They are cutting costs, recycling more, reducing the amount of waste created and using less water and energy while doing so.

Business benefit

Thanks to what has been implemented by John’s team at the Campbell’s facility, there have been a tremendous amount of internal and external impacts. First off, many new initiatives have been launched partially based on the success of this initiative.

Given that food waste reduction relates to Campbell’s mission for sustainability, it has gained recognition globally as well. The Campbell Company on a global level is looking to Toronto to see how it can use these processes at other facilities. In addition to this, sustainability objectives were put in place just last year for the entire company by the CEO. These objectives directly link back to the food waste reduction initiatives as targets are set for energy, water and waste.

Campbell's also benefits through the reduction of costs from various areas such as from water consumption, energy usage and the cost to landfill. There is also an increase in efficiency thanks to this initiatives. The culture has also grown into a more sustainability-minded attitude as workers understand the impact sustainable procedures have on the community and business.

Social and environmental benefit

Thanks to food waste reduction practices, minimal waste is going to landfills. Landfills can have a direct impact on communities and the environment. There could be leaks into water-ways and usually waste going to landfills contribute to GHG emissions. This is all avoided since minimal waste goes to landfills.

Rather than going to landfills, the waste that arises through operations is redirected to an animal feed or biogas generation depending on what type of food it is.

Through this process, water scarcity is also being addressed. Efficient food waste reduction practices lead to less water and energy being used which has a positive impact on both the environment and the society.

Lastly, with less food being wasted, this translates to more food available to consumers in general. This means that a minimal amount of resources are wasted to maximize efficiency and maximize the amount of food that can be provided to consumers.

As shown through these innovative techniques of reducing food waste, Campbell's works strongly towards the UN goal of responsible consumption and production.

Interview

John Lillard, R&D Project Leader