Read the Air Coalition
E-FFAW: The ESG, Farming, Food and Animal Welfare Roundtable Japan
Exploring the intersection of livestock/fishery management and sustainability performance
For the Food Industry in Japan
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SOLUTIONS
Recognizing these conditions and requirements, Read the Air has convened a focused Roundtable as its Secretariat, together with leading food companies, to explore practical, implementable solutions that enhance sustainability performance while maintaining competitive positioning.
This collaborative forum offers participants access to industry best practices for animal welfare and sustainability, industry solutions that create co-benefits by simultaneously resolving sustainability and animal welfare issues, and shared implementation strategies. Working together, roundtable members can develop collective influence that will shape sustainable industry standards that benefit all stakeholders.
BACKGROUND
Moving toward a society free from carbon emissions and ensuring the sustainability of our planet for future generations is an urgent challenge for businesses and a critical long-term responsibility for all of humanity.
Food companies have outsized influence because of their extensive agricultural footprints and complex supply chains that directly impact environmental and social outcomes.
The integration of animal welfare perspectives into ESG frameworks is accelerating significantly, driven by mounting pressure from investors, consumers, and regulatory bodies.
This shift reflects growing recognition that poor animal welfare practices negatively impact sustainability performance and ESG ratings through supply chain disruptions, reputational damage, and regulatory compliance costs.
Key drivers include institutional investors increasingly viewing animal welfare as a material ESG factor, with major asset managers pushing portfolio companies for enhanced disclosure.
ESG rating agencies now incorporate animal welfare metrics, creating competitive pressure as companies with poor practices face higher cost of capital.
And consumers in segments that are concerned about health risks, sustainable practices and climate change are rapidly changing their expectations of food companies.
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Value chain impacts are cascading. Suppliers face welfare certification requirements, ingredient processors must establish verification systems, manufacturers reformulate products while managing costs, and retailers set welfare policies mandating supplier compliance.
Effective coordination among corporations and other stakeholders is essential to foster the sustainable transition process and avoid resource misallocation.
Companies proactively addressing animal welfare gain competitive advantages through risk mitigation and brand differentiation, while those lagging face increasing stakeholder pressure.
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The objectives and process for the E-FFAW Roundtable
The research objective of the Roundtable will be to present final guidance on best practices for animal welfare and sustainability that members can incorporate into their own management policies and public disclosures.
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THE PROCESS
The Roundtable Secretariat will operate over a one-year time frame to drive the research agenda based on RtA’s long experience in sustainable business transformation, with input from members and assembled experts from the business world, academia and civil society.
The Secretariat will collect contributions from members and prepare a final subject matter report for distribution (as determined by the members).
In March of 2022, the governing body for the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA), passed by consensus a Resolution on the importance of animal welfare to the environment and sustainable development.
E-FFAW Roundtable Research Subjects and Schedule
To details to come
