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Sustainability in food & agriculture

As the world’s population increases, the quality and sustainability of our food supply must be safeguarded. Creating a resilient food organization that can stand the test of time involves considering the efficacy and sustainability of your operations. BSI's sustainability standards can help your business achieve sustainable food production best practices.

Reducing the consumption of natural resources in food and agriculture

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The social responsibility standards in the food sector
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The social responsibility standards in the food sector

There is increasing demand from consumers to have sustainable and socially responsible practices at every step of the food production chain, which is creating a real need for internationally agreed systems and processes. Food producers, manufacturers, retailers, and ingredient suppliers have a responsibility to ensure that their products are safe and of the highest quality. In today’s age of rapid globalization, changing consumer requirements, and challenges associated with sustainability, food fraud, regulations, and global supply chains, companies are faced with complex challenges in trying to live up to this responsibility and ensure compliance with guidelines and regulations. To read more on the topic of supply chain resilience in the food agriculture sector, click here. What is Social Responsibility? Social responsibility has become one of the most important factors to measure your organization’s performance and this is true of all sectors of society. Social responsibility is an organization’s legal and voluntary duty to consider the social and environmental impact of its decisions and activities. A corporate responsibility strategy outlines the ways that an organization contributes to sustainable development, engages with its stakeholders, and behaves ethically. Standard BS EN ISO 26000: Guidance on Social Responsibility One response to this demand is some new guidance for the agri-food sector on implementing the international social responsibility standard, BS EN ISO 26000. PD ISO/TS 26030 Social responsibility and sustainable development – Guidance on using ISO 26000:2010 in the food chain, was published earlier this year. The new guidance offers the agri-food sector some specific ideas on how to operate to ensure sustainable outcomes as outlined in BS EN ISO 26000, which is designed to help organizations operate ethically and transparently. Within the new document, there is guidance on how an organization in the food production chain can contribute to sustainable development whilst continuing to take into account local laws and regulations and consideration of the needs and expectations of stakeholders. The idea is that this will assist all types and sizes of organizations in the food chain, from primary production organizations such as farms to other food businesses, cooperatives, processors, and retailers, in their efforts to develop activities that will result in more socially responsible outcomes, as framed in the BS EN ISO 26000 guidance. Some of the areas directly covered in the standard are: Organizational governance – integration with strategic plans, reviews, accountability, and legal compliance Human rights – due diligence; economic, social, and cultural rights Labor practices – social dialogue, OHS, human development, and training The environment – prevention of pollution, sustainable resource use, climate change adaptation Fair operating practices – anti-corruption, fair competition, responsible political involvement Consumer issues – fair marketing, sustainable consumption Community involvement and development – technology development and access, social investment. BS EN ISO 26000 and over 100,000 more internationally recognized standards are available with a BSI Knowledge subscription which can help to develop a sustainable model for your business. Our tailored subscription service provides flexibility, access, visibility, and control over the standards and insights your team needs to achieve social responsibility. Build your own collection and keep updated with any relevant changes to your standards strategy. Request to learn more. The Role of the Food Sector in Global Sustainable Development The agri-food sector plays a huge role in the sustainable development of our world. The sort of challenges noted for the food chain for the topic of fair operating practices is as an example, to “adopt responsible purchasing behavior that takes into consideration the specific characteristics of agricultural production (atomization of production structures, price volatility, cyclical nature of agricultural production, etc.) and maintain the economic sustainability of the various partners in the food chain”. As a result, using PD ISO/TS 26030:2019 should help both improve social responsibility in the food industry and have a positive impact in general. Use of the guidance will, for example, help food organizations contribute to many of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - not just number two zero hunger, but also other notable goals such as goal number 8, on decent work and economic growth, and goal number 12 on responsible consumption and production. This direct link to the UN SDGs is reinforced by the participation of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in the development of the document. As the world’s population increases, the quality and sustainability of our food supply must be safeguarded. The world needs food that’s been produced in an environmentally sustainable and ethically responsible way. In addition, this ISO technical specification will help to harmonize the various approaches to sustainability in the sector at the international level, giving users a competitive edge. PD ISO/TS 26030:2019 is a food-sector application of BS EN ISO 26000 Guidance on social responsibility, ISO’s flagship standard for social responsibility. It was developed by ISO technical committee ISO/TC 34, Food products, the secretariat of which is held by AFNOR, ISO’s member for France. Standards can help organizations not only take action but to demonstrate their commitment to sustainable development and community support. Embed social responsibility into your operations and mission by adding standard BS EN ISO 26000 into your collection today.Read more
Precision farming standards: How data can support sustainable food production
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Precision farming standards: How data can support sustainable food production

Agri-food is the largest sector in the UK and fourth largest in the world - generating £121.6bn in revenue and employing four million people in the UK. With the world population projected to reach 9.9 billion by 2050 (UN), the need for primary production to innovate effectively to meet the planet’s needs is more important than ever. Precision farming addresses the problem that there isn't enough land in production to feed the number of people needing to be fed using current farming methods. With precision agriculture, farmers can use their resources in a smarter way, aided by technology. For example, using highly accurate data farmers can apply nutrients, water, seed, and other agricultural inputs to grow more crops in a wide range of soil environments. This data lets farmers know how much and when to apply these inputs to use fewer resources but increase the yield. Soil maps that identify the spatial distribution of soil texture within the fields can be used to create prescription maps for seed drilling. This is achieved through examining soil conductivity in the fields and assessing which parts of a field are likely to give a better yield. By observing, measuring, and responding to variability in crops within and between fields, using the prescription maps from the soil scanning, the rate controller on the seed drill can variably apply seed across the field. GPS-controlled tractors can ensure this is done in the most efficient way. The Role of Sustainable Farming Standards The agriculture sector is moving towards precision or ‘smart’ farming, and standards are supporting this transition. For example, there is a standard in development for the use of drones in farming capable of assessing growth rates, soil conditions, and insect infestations with great accuracy (ISO ISO/TC 20/SC 16, unmanned aircraft systems). The sustainability standard BS 8001 Circular economy is a business improvement standard that can get food sector companies started on the path. It includes detailed advice on how to integrate sustainability best practices into their operations. It explains the six principles of the circular economy and provides guidance on how to make each one a core part of business operations. BS 8001 also draws on ISO’s environmental management system standard. In fact, if your organization has implemented a robust BS EN ISO 14001 EMS, some of the more challenging work associated with adopting a circular economy may have been done when you considered the lifecycle perspective of your product(s) or service(s) in clause 6.1.2 Environmental aspects. BS EN ISO 25177 Soil quality provides guidance on the description of soil in the field and its environmental context. It is applicable to natural, near-natural, urban, and industrial sites. The soil observations and measurements can be made on a project site level, on a plot level, on layer or horizon level, and on specific soil constituents. BSI’s Aerial Compliance Programme BSI is integrating drones in combination with aerial data and analytics to transform audit delivery and agricultural operational management while improving transparency in programs such as RSPO’s Principles and Criteria. Our innovative pilot program leverages technology to support the assessment of oil palm plantations to increase the sustainability of this sensitive crop. To learn more, download our brochure here. Discover BSI Knowledge We understand the immense challenge agricultural businesses are facing to rapidly adopt innovative and sustainable ways to increase their food production. Our tailored BSI Knowledge subscription service provides flexibility, access, visibility, and control over the standards and insights your team needs to achieve this objective. With over 1,600 agriculture and agricultural engineering documents available in our GBM36 module, finding the right standards for your business needs just got easier. Request to learn more.

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