Sustainability Analysis More Important Than Ever

As our climate changes and brings with it new challenges across the globe, a wave of backlash against industrial agriculture is changing consumer behavior and causing governments to take action. One of the latest examples is a Netflix documentary titled Seaspiracy from filmmaker Ali Tabrizi. The film presents an equally dramatic and nauseating view of the modern fishing industry. Tabrizi concludes that given the convoluted nature of global fishing supply chains, there’s no such thing as sustainable seafood. At the end of the film, he vows to ditch fish for good as the only true way to address these issues.



Though the film did spectacularly well on Netflix earning its place in the “Top 10,” the backlash was swift. Industry experts claimed that many of the statements in the film were based on outdated studies, issues were grossly exaggerated and links were often made where they don’t exist. Still, the film which framed the issue as one of consumer choice, has already had a massive impact on consumer confidence in the fishing industry.



Feed companies are taking note of these shifts in public opinion as they pursue their own sustainability initiatives. A year ago Evonik shared research done by KPMG that examined the impacts of poultry and swine production and outlined the potential benefits of using feed additives. Last week DSM launched Sustell™, an analytical tool allowing animal farming companies to improve their environmental footprint and profitability. Both initiatives are critical to the long term sustainability of our food supply chain. They also serve another important purpose: protecting against attempts to unjustly vilify the industry.



At Glowlit, we’re big believers that environmental sustainability and profitability can and should co-exist. They require real time price data that can inform an analysis of potential trade offs. That’s where Glowlit comes in, with market data on over 120 feed ingredients being reported on from 92 countries.