Nestlé, Unilever and Coca-Cola are among the signatories to the Sustainable Dairy Partnership (SDP), which outlines 11 criteria designed to tackle sustainability issues. The initiative comprises five stages to help processors understand where they stand on the sustainability ladder. The SDP also requires participating companies to tackle the issue of deforestation and animal welfare and comply with local laws.
The initiative was previously piloted in Europe, the US and Australia and is due to be rolled out globally in 2020. The creation of the SDP comes amid increasing emphasis on sustainability and responsible sourcing within the dairy industry and indeed worldwide.
The initiative will streamline the relationship between processors and buyers and will help ensure that farm-level practices become increasingly sustainable.