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Practical Steps to Embed Sustainability into Operations for Food and Beverage Companies

With global resources under strain and consumers increasingly valuing responsible practices, companies are reimagining the way they do business to be more efficient, mindful, and impactful. The food and beverage industry has a unique opportunity to make progress towards more sustainable operations. Here are a few practical strategies...

Green Business Benchmark°

Published

August 7, 2025

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In this article

Tackle Waste Reduction & Improve Packaging Processes

Waste is one of the biggest challenges in food and beverage production - but it’s also where the most impactful changes can be made. Companies can start making improvements by assessing their waste output across all stages of production including discarded raw materials, packaging, and unsold inventory.

On the packaging front in particular, numerous states in the US have recently passed or are in the process of passing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws (see recent updates here). EPR laws require producers - in this case food and beverage companies - to take greater accountability for the lifecycle management of packaging products. They ensure that producers bear the financial and operational responsibility for recycling and disposal, reducing the burden on taxpayers and local governments.

Collaboration with packaging experts - like those at GBB’s sister company, Clearyst Advisory - can help companies create solutions that balance durability, sustainability, and appearance to align business objectives with environmental goals. Clearyst advisors have helped multinational food and beverage companies, including Nissin Foods, build out robust sustainability strategies and ensure compliance with the latest EPR laws in states they sell into.

Source Responsibly & Establish Supply Chain Transparency

The source of raw materials plays a large role in building operational sustainability. Beyond choosing ethical suppliers and supporting responsible resource management, businesses need to pursue genuine supply chain transparency. Understanding exactly where and how ingredients are sourced empowers companies to uphold higher standards and address any potential issues.

Achieving supply chain transparency starts with setting clear policies that detail expectations for sourcing, ethics, and environmental care at every step. Companies should communicate these standards to all partners, vendors, and employees through regular reporting to ensure compliance. Many large corporates will audit suppliers and vendors, discontinuing relationships with those that aren’t in compliance with their sustainability standards. Investing in software tools like the GBB platform can be especially helpful - providing necessary data organization, highlighting problem areas, and recommending initiatives to improve sustainability performance.

Prioritizing clear policies and supply chain visibility alongside careful supplier selection raises the bar, benefitting the business, its customers, and the wider food system.

Improve Energy Efficiency

Energy use is another major area for improvement in food and beverage facilities. From equipment and processing lines to refrigeration needs, inefficient practices can lead to unnecessarily high emissions and costs. One way to tackle this is through an energy auditing and management, which helps identify areas of improvement across your operations. For example, our partner Edgecom Energy, uses easy-to-install IoT sensors to assess your company’s existing energy processes and provide recommendations - creating immediate savings and revenue-generating opportunities (reach out to our team to learn more) including:

Upgrading equipment: Machines with higher efficiency ratings not only reduce usage but often feature better long-term performance. Renewable energy solutions, such as installing solar panels or switching to wind power, further cut reliance on fossil fuels while lowering energy bills.
Distribution: Planning transport routes efficiently, consolidating shipments, or transitioning to a vehicle fleet with reduced emissions can drastically lower fuel consumption.
Real-time monitoring: A dashboard view for keeping track of energy, water, gas usage, indoor air quality, and surface temperature. A generative AI tools offer built for energy assets offer insights, data visualization, and comparative analysis to improve energy efficiency.

These focused efforts demonstrate how energy-related strategies improve both operational efficiency and corporate responsibility.

Collaborate & Educate

Finally, it’s important to create a culture that embraces sustainable practices both within the company and throughout an industry. Internally, organizations can launch educational initiatives such as interactive workshops, onboarding programs that spotlight sustainability, and incentive campaigns that reward employees for adopting responsible habits. “Sustainability champions” programs - where team members lead the charge in identifying and reducing waste or boosting energy savings on their production lines - generate measurable results. Externally, its important for companies in the food & beverage industry to source locally, giving back to the community and resulting in better returns.

Collaboration propels these efforts even further. Many businesses are joining industry alliances (e.g. The Food Policy Alliance) or partnerships with non-profits to share best practices, co-develop standards, and multiply their positive impact. Companies can work together in packaging coalitions to drive research into alternative materials or food manufacturers can team up with local farmers to support regenerative agriculture initiatives. Such alliances not only foster innovation but also build credibility with customers and regulators.

Food and beverage companies that choose to embed education and collaboration into everyday operations can create lasting change. They ensure that sustainability isn’t just a set of initiatives; it’s an integral part of how the entire business and market move forward together.

Conclusion

Bringing sustainability into food and beverage operations may seem complex, but with the right tools and strategies in place, it’s entirely achievable and will benefit your business in the long run. GBB offers tailored solutions that simplify this process, helping businesses reduce waste, source responsibly, improve their energy efficiency, and educate the market. Whether you're looking to take the first step or refine your existing efforts, the GBB platform provides domain expertise and food & beverage specific initiatives and resources to guide you every step of the way.

Interested in learning more? See how Green Business Benchmark can help your food and beverage business improve sustainability performance today.

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