The Dairy Sector: Ready to Help Achieve Sustainable Development Goals

With the recent agreement and release of the Sustainable Development Goals and the forthcoming COP21 meetings in Paris, the global dairy sector, aligned through the Global Dairy Agenda for Action, felt it was important that dairy is recognized at the meetings (even though agriculture is not on the negotiation table) via a simple and common message:  Dairy has an important role to play in both the SDGs and the reduction of GHG emissions through the delivery of sustainable actions that address the climatic economic and social aspects of food production on a continuous improvement basis.

In October the DSF was invited to share with the Executive Board and members of the GRSB the approach that the dairy sector is taking to achieving sustainable value chains.  The GRSB is similar to the DSF in that it too is not operating as a standard or certification scheme and is totally focused on continuous improvement through a regional membership.

Though similar, the two initiatives are also different in many ways. Recognizing the value of collaboration, the DSF has provided a seat on its multi-stakeholder Advisory Council to the GRSB to ensure alignment and shared learnings wherever possible.

Five new Affiliate members have been welcomed into the DSF.

Megmilk Snow Brand, the first Japanese member, undertakes to create new value from milk by providing consumers with safe and reliable dairy products, including milk, yogurt, butter and cheese.

The Australian dairy industry has been recognized for its ongoing commitment to sustainability at the national Banksia Sustainability Awards in Sydney.

The Australian dairy industry was presented with the Food for Sustainable Thought Award and was also a finalist for the Natural Capital Award for work achieved under its Sustainability Framework.

The Sustainability Framework was developed by the dairy industry to enhance livelihoods across the industry, improve community and animal wellbeing, and reduce environmental impact. 

A recent article on Triple Pundit, one of the world’s most widely-read websites on ethical, sustainable, profitable business, profiled the DSF under the title “Global Dairy Gets Sustainability: Now Where Do the Other Livestock Groups Stand?”

The article praises the Framework saying its “governance model leads the effort, indicating that the industry is committed to making sustainability a non-competitive issue.”

You can read the full article here