This week at the UN Global Assembly 78, Food Tank, WWF, Wholechain, and NYU Steinhardt will present “Food and Agriculture as a Solution to the Climate Crisis” in collaboration with the World Food Program-USA, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization North America (FAO), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the Forum for Farmers and Food Security (3FS), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

The event on September 14th will highlight traceable and deforestation free leather supply chains. Click here to register for the livestream.

Hoping to meet us during UNGA 78 and/or Climate Week 2023? Reach out at team@wholechain.com.

Keep reading for a recap of last year’s event during UNGA 77 / Climate Week 2022.

Event Recap: UNGA 77 / Climate Week 2022 “Blueprint for the Future” Highlights Solutions to Advance SDG 14: Life Below Water

Last year, Wholechain presented “Better Food Future: Oceans, Food & Finance” with the UN Global Compact Ocean Accelerator Network, Food Tank, IDH and Envisible LLC. The working dinner marked the official re-launch of the UNGC Ocean Accelerator Network. Here is the TLDR:

Sponsors and Ingredient Providers

Global Seafood Alliance, Builders Vision, Benson Hill, Foodbytes! By Rabobank, Alaskan Leader, Cape Fish, Grain 4 Grain, Akua

Key Participants

Trusted retailers, food product innovators, seafood producers committed to responsible seafood and aquaculture practices, leaders in sustainable development, finance institutions and UNGC representatives, including IDH Sustainable Production of Calves Program and Beef and Leather Working Group participants, Walmart, Foodbytes! By Rabobank, Wegmans Food Markets, Walmart, Albertsons, Kroger, PepsiCo, Nestlé and more.

ESG Outcomes

• JBS, Minerva, Marfrig, Vancouros and IDH pledged to trace 1 million head of cattle from Brazil for the Sustainable Production of Calves Program (learn more)

• IDH’s commitment to scaling its sustainable soy program through a landscape approach with traceability

• Walmart Foundation’s commitment with WWF to scale responsible seafood practices through a place-based approach

• Walmart’s partnership with the Republic of the Marshall Islands and The Nature Conservancy to have the sustainable seafood supplier Pacific Island Tuna supply its Great Value brand

Past Sustainability Events

• UN Ocean Conference Official Side-Event (Lisbon, 2022)

• Night at the New England Aquarium (Boston, SENA 2023)

• Night at the Barcelona Aquarium (Barcelona, SEG 2023)

A Closer Look: Advancing Traceability and Responsible Supply Chain Initiatives in Global Supply Chains

The “Blueprint for the Future: Oceans, Food, and Finance” working dinner last September focused on the themes of Oceans, Food and Finance and welcomed representatives of each to showcase initiatives in sustainable supply chains, with a focus on traceable blue food ingredients advancing Tipping Point 1 of 5 for Healthy and Productive Oceans: Fully Traceable Sustainable Seafood (including aquaculture).

The working dinner highlighted new initiatives and encouraged partnerships aligned with the mission of the UNGC Ocean Accelerator Network, a coalition of policy and business leaders committed to advancing solutions to the UNGC Tipping Points for Healthy and Productive Oceans for Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water.

Responsible Sourcing Initiatives: Seafood and Soy for Aquaculture

Participants enjoyed cod, tuna, and other seafood traced from the source with Wholechain, while hearing directly from seafood industry leaders and suppliers.

• Kathleen McLaughlin discussed Walmart’s seafood program initiatives that support fishing communities in the Marshall Islands.

• Scott Sandvig described Alaskan Leader Seafoods’ pole-and-line methods used to reduce bycatch and protect ocean floor ecosystems.

• Kyle Nold, formerly of Cape Fish South Africa, discussed the importance of supporting small-scale fishers to advance the health of coastal communities and ocean.

• Riverence’s farmed trout, fed with Benson Hill soy products, highlighted the connection between responsibly sourced soy for fish feed, and seafood supply chains.

Food (and Food Byproducts) Innovations and Traceability Initiatives

Along with traceable seafoods and aquaculture ingredients, the dinner showcased innovators in key food categories such as soy (Benson Hill, Riverence), grain (Grain4Grain), kelp (AKUA PBC), and beef (and its byproduct, leather). During the dinner, Brazil’s largest meatpackers and leather manufacturers made commitments to trace one million calves back to birth farms in Brazil. The commitment forms part of IDH’s Sustainable Production of Calves Program, which is on track to implement Wholechain traceability for calf production across Brazil’s regions most vulnerable to deforestation. Read more about the commitments here.

Finance Solutions for Sustainable Food Supply Chains

Event sponsors Builders Vision, an impact investment firm, and Foodbytes By Rabobank, a startup program that supports food and agriculture supply chain innovations, brought a finance perspective to the evening’s discussions. Anne Greven, the Global Head of Food & Ag at Foodbytes, encouraged participants to collaborate in finding cross-cutting solutions to our food system’s biggest problems. Foodbytes Recently published its 2023 Global Flavors & Ingredient Supply Chains report highlighting exemplary startups, with a focus on traceability.

About the UN Global Compact Ocean Accelerator Network

Inspired by the success of the original Accelerator Network in 2019 and Envisible’s experience creating the original Fish Hackathon and mFish in 2015 with the U.S. Department of State; the Network will accelerate startup solutions with measurable impact in the areas identified by the Tipping Points for Healthy and Productive Oceans starting with fully traceable sustainable supply chains. The Network’s ethos revolves around building an equitable system that supports entrepreneurs of diverse backgrounds, with the aim of scaling solutions that take holistic and thoughtful approaches to some of the world’s most challenging problems in the areas of ocean health and our food systems.

Mark Kaplan, Co-Founder of Envisible, will lead as the Accelerator Network’s startup representative, along with Erik Giercksky, Head of the United Nations Global Compact Ocean Stewardship Coalition, Knut Moestue COO and Wenche Grønbrekk Chair of UN Global Compact Norway, and Adam Roy Gordon, Head of the UN Global Compact Network USA. Envisible will support the acceleration of fully traceable sustainable supply chains, mentoring participating startups and facilitating connections with investors, universities and markets.