The first multi-stakeholder sustainability reporting framework is now available to the U.S. broiler, egg and turkey industries.
Developed by the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Poultry and Egg (US-RSPE), the framework is a comprehensive reporting system that allows participants to voluntarily measure and verify their sustainability status.
The framework is organized into three sections:
- Pillars – Overarching categories of importance for US-RSPE and its members
- Indicators – Key areas of measurement within the pillars
- Metrics – Questions to be answered specific to each indicator
There are three pillars included in the framework: people, planet and poultry. Each pillar contains indicators that are important to the poultry and egg supply chain such as food security, antibiotic stewardship, land use, water usage, air quality, animal health, biosecurity and more. The metrics are designed to help companies demonstrate where they are in their sustainability journey within each pillar.
According to Ryan Bennett, US-RSPE Executive Director, the framework is intended to be used by its members to provide transparency to its stakeholders and verify that participants are making continuous improvements that are environmentally sound, socially responsible and economically viable.
The purpose of the system is to help producers gain insight into their individual sustainability efforts and help the industry improve its ability to measure and communicate with stakeholders about the overall sustainability of the U.S. poultry and egg supply chains, explained Bennett.
After submitting their data, participants of the program will receive individualized reports of its sustainability program’s status, aggregated reports that cover the industry’s progress and insight and recommendations concerning areas of improvement. Each member’s data is private and members will not have access to other company’s data.
“We are trying to take what can be a confusing space for producers and give them a place to get started in their sustainability journey and allow them to track and communicate their progress over time,” said Bennett. “We are trying to capture that (data) in an organized way that makes sense to you and your individual operations and allow you to tell your story.”
How to enroll
To participate in the US-RSPE Sustainability Framework, companies will need to select a single individual that will be the primary contact for its organization to control the settings and user accounts. Organizations can email [email protected] with the following information:
- Organization Name
- Name of Primary Contact
- Email of Primary Contact
Once approved, the primary contact will receive an email with a link to create their login account. Companies can enter in their data beginning in 2021 to determine their current sustainability status.
