Sustainability is no longer a buzzword. It's a way of doing business for many companies, especially those in the natural-resource dependent food and beverage industry. We surveyed industry ex-ecutives to find out what is the state of sustainability efforts at their food and beverage companies. The key findings are captured in this infographic.Read the full results at http://gt-us.co/1okVUvW

1. Content in this publication is not intended to answer specific questions or suggest suitability of action in a particular case. For
additional information on the issues discussed, consult a Grant Thornton LLP client service partner or another qualified professional.
© 2014 Grant Thornton LLP | All rights reserved | U.S. member firm of Grant Thornton International Ltd
THE STATE OF SUSTAINABILITY IN 4 QUESTIONS
About The State of Sustainability at Food and Beverage Companies Survey
The survey is based on answers from 189 respondents collected in April and May 2014 from
C-suite and senior leaders in food and beverage retail, manufacturing/supply, and wholesaler/
distribution/brokerage sectors. Participant titles included: CEO, COO, CFO, CIO, owner, partner,
chairman, vice president, senior vice president, executive vice president, category manager,
merchandising manager, marketing manager, buyer, and director/general manager.
HOW IMPORTANT IS SUSTAINABILITY TO YOUR FIRM’S BUSINESS STRATEGY?
WHAT FACTORS ARE IMPORTANT WHEN CONSIDERING SUSTAINABILITY?
WHO’S IN CHARGE?
HOW IS IT MEASURED?
Benefits of a
conscious business
approach are ripe
for the taking
Being a sustainable business is about more than just reducing waste, especially
for food and beverage companies. It is about attracting and keeping customers by
protecting the environment, improving lives through social programs and maintaining
corporate accountability. We surveyed the industry to uncover the state of sustainability
along the food and beverage supply chain. Our results show that many companies have
built tremendous momentum; yet many are still on the sidelines.
2 in 5 companies aren’t sure
if they’re sourcing from
sustainable suppliers.
1 in 3 companies aren’t
aware of green state and
federal incentives.
7 in 10 companies think a
sustainable business model is
profitable in the long run.
“Whenever you adopt changes for
sustainability purposes, make sure
stakeholders are on board and that
the company considers changes to
its risk profile.”
“People want to know where and how
their food is grown, and what the
company is doing in the process of
getting the food to the shelf. This is
more important than it ever has been.”
—Tony Perazzo, Audit Partner — Dexter Manning, Food and Beverage Practice Leader
think it’s extremely
important to their
business strategy.
Critical to growth 68%
Profit-generating in the long-term 68%
Demanded by consumers 67%
A competitive differentiator 64%
Difficult to implement 52%
Profit-generating in the short-term 25%
A fad that will disappear in a few years 10%
Sustainability is:
Long-term
profitability
30% 27% 21% 21% 20% 19%
Leadership buy-in Budget Public perception Proven ROI Staff
45%
Dedicated
sustainability
function
16%
Committee CFO Corporate
responsibility
officer
Chief
marketing
officer
Board of
directors
Chief operating
officer
Other
14%
10%
8%
5% 5% 4%
16%
1 in 5 companies have no designated
leadership for their sustainability initiatives.
3 in 4 companies measure their sustainability efforts.
Energy consumption 58%
Total waste 50%
Amount of recycled materials 40%
Impact of social responsibility initiatives 25%
Carbon footprint 24%
LEED certification 16%
Suppliers are more likely to:
• Say that sustainability is critical to growth
and that their customers expect it
• Implement a sustainable business model
• Measure their sustainability efforts
Retailers are more likely to:
• Reduce their energy consumption
• Report savings through energy-reduction
and federal programs
Wholesalers are more likely to:
• Dismiss sustainability as a fad
Suppliers and manufacturers are the furthest
along the adoption curve
CHAMPIONS AND LAGGARDS IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN
Supplier Retailer Wholesaler
Followers (compliance) 22% 27% 41%*
Mature (risk and
cost management) 27% 31% 13%
Leaders (sustainable
business model) 24% 18% 19%
Champions (large-scale,
sophisticated sustainable strategy) 13% 9% 3%
Not sure 13% 16% 25%
* Significant at the 90% level of confidence
Responses do not total 100% due to rounding.
Top sustainable activities show different priorities
along the supply chain
Supplier Retailer Wholesaler
Reducing production waste 78% 44%* 38%
Paper and
packaging recycling 69% 69% 53%
Reducing energy
consumption 62% 78%** 47%*
Reducing consumer waste 53% 45% 38%
Funding social programs 40% 32% 16%*
* Significant at the 95% level of confidence
** Significant at the 99% level of confidence
The State of Sustainability at
Food and Beverage Companies