Introduction to the Declaration of Sustainability

The aim of the Declaration’s 11-point action pledge is to promote action and continuous improvement, guiding the organic food trade toward more sustainable business practices. Companies that sign the Declaration, and become members of the SFTA, commit to annual reporting on their business practices in each of the 11 areas. The Declaration’s 11-point action pledge is the backbone for the SFTA sustainability metrics promoting consistency in reporting in the industry, while allowing each company to take that information and tell their own unique story.

Full Members receive the educational and networking support and technical assistance needed to write an annual sustainability report, as well as a platform for communicating their commitment and results. The intent is to create a community of learning and collaboration amongst people driving sustainability efforts inside their businesses, to reduce duplicate efforts in the industry and drive innovation at the speed and scale needed to meet the challenges and opportunities before us.

 Objectives of the Declaration:

  • To assist in defining what achieving “sustainability” would look like in the organic food industry.
  • To inspire timely action by creating a process for businesses to make a public commitment to work toward improvement in 11-action areas including organics, climate change, energy, distribution, labor, packaging, water, waste, animal care, education and governance.
  • To develop a clear framework for businesses to report progress, using common metrics and explicit benchmarks, which provide substance for sustainability marketing claims and communications.
  • To recognize different levels of proficiency and provide recognition to businesses making measurable gains.