The Sustainable Food Trade Association is a community of business leaders who have recognized the importance of moving toward sustainable business models. However, when recently polled about their company’s climate action, SFTA members stated “We could be doing more.”
The Climate Collaborative was born from a belief shared by natural food leaders that our industry has great potential to do much more to reverse climate change by working together. The idea grew from a phone call between Jessica Rolph and Lara Dickinson – both in different parts of the country and both personally and professionally feeling the effects of climate change. Lara committed to making this the next OSC2 Collaborative Project and along with Jessica, Nancy Hirshberg and Katherine DiMatteo of SFTA, the team developed a plan. From the start, New Hope Network partnered with the Collaborative and committed their resources and enthusiasm to driving climate action in the industry. The Climate Collaborative launched on Climate Day at Expo West on March 8, 2017.
The Climate Collaborative was approved by the OSC2 and SFTA boards as a joint project in September 2016. In April 2017 the Sustainable Food Lab, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit, became the Climate Collaborative’s partner and fiscal sponsor.
On July 31, 2017, Erin Callahan joined the Climate Collaborative as its new director. She will manage and lead the Collaborative’s programming, communications and outreach.
The Climate Collaborative is a project of OSC2 and SFTA to catalyze bold climate action among natural products companies. The Climate Collaborative brings manufacturers, retailers, brokers, distributors, and suppliers together to build existing climate solutions to scale and to find innovative, new ways to help reverse climate change. Focusing on nine commitment areas – agriculture, energy efficiency, food waste, forests, packaging, policy, renewable energy, short-lived climate pollutants, and transportation – the Climate Collaborative provides the information and collaboration natural products companies need to meet the growing consumer demand for action on climate and make a meaningful contribution to avoiding the critical 1.5 degree Celsius increase that scientists predict will trigger disastrous consequences.
Click here to find out more about the Climate Collaborative.
