Organic food: followed by sustainability

Dusseldorf / DE. (md) In the beginning there was organic food. Controlled farming, more regionally, fruit and vegetables with no chemicals – the industry boomed. An increasing number of consumers were suddenly ready to have a rethink, indeed, they also demanded this rethink from retailers. Now the extended organic range is also part of good service even at Aldi, Rewe + Co. However: the boom is faltering, or to be more precise, it is taking another course. Customers are going one better – according to their credo organic products are not enough. Regional and ecological distinctions remain, but they are joined by the fair and social requirements placed on the suppliers. In this connection it is of course not only a matter of foodstuffs; the activities with regards to the companies´ sustainable measures and social responsibility are also under scrutiny. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is the magic slogan.

Food Fair Trio: Sustainability Special Show

The Dusseldorf food trade fairs InterMopro, InterCool and InterMeat from 12 to 15 September 2010 are fully focussed on this worldwide trend and are dedicating a Special Show to it under the motto «Tomorrow´s fresh world». This will consist of several theme islands, which will be dedicated to the various aspects of sustainability and CSR from various perspectives. In this connection for example there will be theme islands covering «Energy Efficiency», «Logistics», «Packaging« and the «Science Pool», for which the services of such renowned partners as the rbk group (Deventer NL), Transfrigoroute Deutschland e.V., Multivac Sepp Haggenmüller GmbH + Co. KG, the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging (Fraunhofer Institut für Verfahrenstechnik und Verpackung (IVV) and the Bad Honnef or Münster Universities of Applied Sciences, have been enlisted. Likewise the exhibitors at InterMopro, InterCool, InterMeat are seizing the opportunity to present their sustainably manufactured products and CSR activities in the special exhibition area. The fact that they are thus keeping up with the trends is confirmed by a look at today´s customers who are beginning to fundamentally change their consumer thinking.

Mean is simply not cool after all

So critical customers are welcome. And they already have a name or trendy abbreviation: Lohas. This stands for «Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability». An interesting fact: Lohas do not allow themselves to be restricted to one social class, age group or classic demographic characteristics. They like to describe themselves as the «new ecologists» but see differences between themselves and the «old ecologists» in that they are technology-friendly and pleasure-orientated. Christoph Harrach, founder of the karmakonsum.de platform: «We are, however, not part of the fun-loving society, but enjoy consuming on a sustainable basis. We support and enjoy purchasing from those companies which supply valuable, long-life and sustainable products. Fair trade is important for us, for no one should be exploited through our consumption.» This sounds good and has the cash tills ringing: the defenders of the Lohas ideology confirm their readiness to pay 20 percent more for products, which have been manufactured on an environmentally compatible basis and in accordance with sustainability. The whole concept is, of course, not a movement only taking place within Germany´s borders: sustainability is a global trend, which according to studies by consumer researchers, is followed in Europe by around 23 percent, and in the USA even by as many as 30 percent of consumers. And the figures are set to rise – Lohas are people who act out of conviction and are also multipliers. In this context, according to the findings of a study (source: The LOHAS Consumer Trends Database), 46 percent of European sustainability fans attempt to convince their families and friends of the advantages of purchasing environmentally compatible products, in the USA the figure is 34 percent of respondents, in Japan it is nevertheless still as many as 22 percent. It comes as no surprise then that the trade and manufacturers are both having a rethink – here, after all, we are talking about a significant customer group.

Assuming responsibility makes you feel good

Tegut has been consistently implementing the sustainability concept for years now. In a recently launched campaign, the Fulda Company has been promoting even more communication with customers and suppliers – a strategy that is being well received. Thomas Gutberlet, CEO at Tegut: «We wish to enter even more effectively into a dialogue with our customers. That also means for example having the courage to explain to our shoppers exactly why some articles are not available at Tegut, but instead others, which they can obtain practically nowhere else. The aim is simply to provide customers with more information, to give them even more support with such decisions than previously and to also enable them to have a say in decision-making».

The companies´ new environmental commitment appears to be neither a PR gimmick nor a flash in the pan, because they are prepared to invest considerable sums in the theme of Corporate Social Responsibility. The areas in which CSR is applied extend from environmental protection through to innovative workplace design up to recognizing the rights of living organisms. Involved in this process are companies such as Unilever, who are increasingly interested in the introduction of fixed sustainability criteria.

The ideas and concepts are as diverse as the companies behind them. In this connection for example the Tengelmann Group opened Germany´s first air-conditioned supermarket at the end of 2008. According to the company, the energy consumption of the completely redeveloped building in Mülheim an der Ruhr is 50 percent below that of conventional supermarkets and does not produce any CO2 emissions. As a result, the process involving benefit for the company, which reduces costs, and the advantages for the environment, has come full circle.

An example of how retail, suppliers and trade organizations are working hand-in-hand, is provided by the Edeka Group: last year it extended its sustainability commitment and declared new guidelines for the purchase of fish and sea foods. The aim is to exclusively offer fish from sustainable, stock-preserving management by 2011. To this end, the Group is cooperating with the environmental foundation World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The Rewe Group is seeking to be more active in the area of sustainability, too. This declaration of intent has already been backed up by the company on several projects such as the cooperation with Chiquita and the German Corporation for Technical Cooperation (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit GmbH – GTZ), for example, with the aim of improving environmental protection and social standards for banana plantations in Panama.

Comprehensive lecture programme at the Freshness Trio in 2010

Just which challenges but also opportunities are emerging for the industry and retail from the themes of sustainability and CSR, how they have already been implemented and which obstacles must still be overcome, will be discussed and covered by the daily lecture programme within the Sustainability and CSR Special Show at InterMopro, InterCool and InterMeat. Here is an extract: «Sustainability in the fresh food sector – the icing on the fresh food cake» to be presented by Marion Sollbach, Department Head Sustainability Management, Metro AG Düsseldorf; «The power and impotence of the food industry and retail» will be discussed by Jürgen Hauss, Federal Cartel Office (Bundeskartellamt, Bonn); «Sustainable packaging of organic foodstuffs» is the theme presented by Michael Kuper, Dairy Manager Lobetaler Bio; «Sustainability and «good sausages» – thinking across the generations» will be explained by Professor Wolfgang Branscheid, Head of the Department of Safety and Quality of Meat (Institut für Sicherheit und Qualität bei Fleisch), Max-Rubner-Institut (Kulmbach); «Organic products are not everything – sustainability and CSR in the shopping basket» is the motto presented by Dr. Simon Berkler, Managing Director, diffferent Strategieagentur, while Dr. Thomas Schwetje, Head of the Marketing Division, Coop Genossenschaft (Basel), will talk about sustainability as an element of brand management.

Info: InterMopro, InterCool and InterMeat, held in Halls 12 to 16 of the Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre, will be open to visitors daily from 10:00 to 16:00, from 12 to 15 September 2010 – together with Hogatec.