Becoming more sustainable is a daunting topic for any business, but the circular supply chain of the broiler industry gives it a leg up in reducing its environmental impact.
“We live in a very linear economy, where resources are mined, used and disposed and that’s kind of it. It’s very energy intensive along the way,” Ethan Carter, director of sustainability, Darling Ingredients, explained.
One way to pivot around that is “to think of things as more circular and that’s where animal agriculture has a bit of an advantage,” he said.
Examples of this thought process is when a broiler is rendered, action is taken to ensure that all parts are used. What doesn’t make it to the dinner plate may become animal feed, pet feed or even fuel.
Carter will discuss how the discourse around sustainability may change in 10 years, and how members of the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Poultry & Eggs are working together to achieve and measure continuous improvement at the 2024 Chicken Marketing Summit.
Don’t lose sight of the big picture
When focusing on sustainability, it’s important to not lose sight of the big picture, Carter said.
“It’s very easy, when you get in your silo and you have specific stakeholders that are very concerned about specific things, to get hyper focused on things that – in the big picture – don’t really make much of a difference,” he explained.
“We need to find ways as an industry to move everyone forward.”
Attend the 2024 Chicken Marketing Summit
Make plans to attend the 2024 Chicken Marketing Summit at the Renaissance Birmingham Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa in Birmingham, Alabama, on July 29-31, 2024. This one-of-a-kind event will look forward to the consumer of 2035 and the issues that will impact their protein choices.
For the first time, the Summit will have two content tracks. As always, one track will focus on consumer trends of today and what will be expected in 2035 and how advancing digital technology will impact how chicken will be sold and marketed in the future. The second content track will explore how the industry will meet consumer expectations by adapting new and existing technologies to raise and process broilers utilizing fewer resources and with improved welfare, food safety and convenience.
