Time for a change
The Global Dairy Agenda for Action (GDAA) has released its second annual report on how the Dairy Sustainability Framework (DSF) is faring. About 27 per cent of global milk production now operates under the framework (up 10 per cent on the previous report) covering over 30 million cows, 658,000 farms and 3,700 processing plants worldwide.
The size of the framework has increased substantially with the introduction of aggregating membership, which allows countries, regions, or even small groupings of dairy sector organisations that are collaborating on sustainability programmes, to register and report through one coordinating body. Already there are three aggregating members – representing 187 dairy companies in total.
Donald Moore, chairman of the GDAA, discussed the DSF with Dairy Industries International.
Q. How far along do you think the quest to monitor the global sustainability effort is moving?
Excellent progress has been made through membership of the Dairy Sustainability Framework (DSF) in aligning and connecting the sustainability practices across the dairy sector. The DSF is a very different approach to traditional sustainability and assurance models, with the focus on continuous improvement as opposed to a point in time evaluation.
In conjunction with the DSF membership, we are currently developing indicator metrics, which will be used to track and monitor the global progress of the sector under the 11 sustainability criteria covering the social, economic and environmental drivers of sustainability in the dairy sector.
The first two indicator metrics are being introduced during 2016 with the remainder of the 11 being introduced over subsequent years, with up to five new indicator metrics in 2017.
Q. What geographical areas appear to be moving forward fastest?
The DSF is not a score card that ranks performance of individual members. It is designed to be inclusive and to encourage all members to embrace continuous improvement and to move at a pace that is consistent with their developmental needs.
Members of the DSF are at various stages and levels along the value chain and spread through many different geographies, so comparisons are not really helpful. Depending on where members are at in their sustainability development process, sometimes what can seem like the smallest steps have the biggest impact.
Q. What about areas of dairy, such as biodiversity and water waste?
When a member joins the DSF, they are asked to endorse all 11 priority areas and the strategic intents that support them. These priority areas are greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; soil nutrients; waste; water; biodiversity; market development; rural economies; soil quality and retention; working conditions; product safety and quality, and animal care.
Members are not required to address all of the 11 areas at one time, as they undertake a prioritisation process at a local level with a multi-stakeholder management group. However, at the aggregate global level, there are projects addressing key aspects under these criteria.
For example, we have information on 51 initiatives being undertaken in GHG emissions. These are spread over Europe, North and South America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
Projects range from switching dairy tanker fleets to compressed natural gas in the US, to one DSF member training ‘Carbon Masters’ in 32 countries around the world with tools enabling them to assess the footprint of finished products.
Members share these initiatives through a central database. This database is a resource available to all members so they can research and look for projects where others may have solved a similar challenge in a way that may work in their situation, thus increasing the speed of mitigating challenges.
Q. What do you see as the key issue in the next 18 months, and why?
Implementation of the indicator metrics and supporting members with the reporting requirements is the key issue. We must also support development of membership in the emerging dairy regions, such as the work with the Global Agenda for Sustainable Livestock’s initiative, Dairy Asia.
It is from these efforts that the indicator metrics will provide the framework with the data that will allow the reporting of the sector’s continuous improvement.
We will also focus on communications regarding the DSF’s evolution and development with both internal and external stakeholders and explain how the work of the dairy sector supports the delivery of the UN Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals, and other global initiatives.
Q. What has been your greatest challenge so far, and what do you consider GDAA’s greatest achievement to date?
The greatest challenge to date has been due to the rapid up-take of the DSF by members. Having now grown to more than 27 per cent of global dairy production reporting initiatives through the DSF, the challenge has been to help members with establishing their reporting structures, while at the same time developing the infrastructure and tools necessary for the Secretariat.
Obviously the greatest achievement has been the way in which the DSF has rapidly grown to become the global initiative for dairy sector sustainability. With recognition by external stakeholders and support from a strong, multi-stakeholder advisory council, the DSF has the potential to become the focal point for the sector in discussions concerning the sustainable development of the dairy sector.
Q. Anything else you’d like to add?
Looking at the road ahead, after three years of operation we have recently commissioned a full post implementation review of the DSF with SustainAbility, the consultants that helped us with the original development.
The review has highlighted the success of the DSF to date while documenting the opportunity for the DSF to continue to meet the evolving needs of both members of the DSF and the broader stakeholder community.
What is the DSF?
- The Dairy Sustainability Framework (DSF) is a database- centred project. It allows the GDAA to take a holistic approach to sustainability by a common language, alignment of sustainability activity – and thus generate a common sustainability commitment that can be expressed at global, regional, national and organisational levels.
It has been designed on three principles:
- Align. Align global ambition to regional activity on key sustainability issues in a coherent way.
- Connect. Map and connect the existing activity, addressing regional priorities, allowing for cross-fertilisation.
- Progress. Reveal opportunities for development of new, or accelerate existing activity to improve performance
