Over the last year, it’s understandable that food suppliers have been distracted with simply surviving. As suppliers to the hospitality sector the every day pressures were daunting.
But, as we move forward this article from Footprint highlights the importance of a comprehensive CSR message that all businesses must be working toward.
As the article says, “The research by Sodexo found two thirds (66%) of business leaders say they have already started replacing suppliers in the last year that don’t live up to their diversity and inclusion values. A similar proportion (65%) have stopped working with organisations in their supply chain that do not align with their own environmental policies.”
Simply put, do it or risk losing business.
Your CSR vision won’t be the finished article, it will be a statement of commitment and intention for your objectives, underpinned by your values. Here are some of the things to consider including:
- Packaging sourcing
- Supply chain audits
- Transport emissions
- Accreditations – Fairtrade, Red Tractor, Rainforest Alliance Certified, FSC etc.
- Utilities sourcing
- Diversity and inclusion
- Community action
- Charitable commitments
- Future vision
It can feel daunting to start to pull this information together, we know this as we’ve been working with our clients to help them move forward and have credible documents and plans to present to customers.
These documents are used in proposals to win business, retain business, shown on websites and quoted in comms internally and externally. They are also used to challenge supply chains to help everyone move forward.
If you’d like to have a chat about how Umami have approached these previously, please get in touch. It all starts with a conversation.
Whether it’s a one off project, or as part of our outsourced marketing manager service, you can be confident that you will be in safe and experienced hands. We’ve been in the food industry for three decades, we talk your language.
But please, do NOT put it off. Be up front and use it as an opportunity to win business, not avoid it and lose business.