The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) has published its 2023 annual report, which showcases how leading retailers and consumer goods firms are accelerating industry transformation through shared knowledge and collaborative action.
The report, Accelerating the Pace of Change: From Action to Impact – 2023 Review, also highlights the progress being made across the forum’s eight Coalitions of Action: Forest Positive Coalition, Plastic Waste Coalition, Food Waste Coalition, Human Rights Coalition, Collaboration for Healthier Lives Coalition, Global Food Safety Initiative, Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative, and Product Data Coalition, as well as introducing the new Net Zero Coalition.
Net Zero Coalition
The Net Zero Coalition will seek to unify the various decarbonisation initiatives being undertaken across the sector and promote greater collaboration between CGF members and the broader Race to Zero network.
‘[The new coalition] aims to create simplicity and clarity to enable united contribution, signposting action that members at all levels and across all geographies can participate in,’ the CGF noted in a statement.
Commenting on the annual report, which can be found here, Wai-Chan Chan, managing director of the CGF, said, “Despite unexpected economic, environmental, social and geopolitical events, our members showed that positive change can continue to happen through collaborative action.
“Our journey towards sustainability is driven by relentless dedication and continuous innovation – and our resolve to innovate, collaborate and lead is stronger than ever.”
Acceleration Areas
The CGF’s co-chairs, Frans Muller, president and chief executive of Ahold Delhaize, and Dirk Van de Put, chairman and chief executive of Mondelēz International, are currently focused on mobilising member action around five ‘acceleration areas’, which have been designed to speed up the systemic change continuously driven by the CGF’s coalitions.
These include enhancing employee health and well-being, ensuring human rights in supply chains, advancing packaging circularity, promoting deforestation-free supply chains, and moving forward on decarbonisation.
‘A Collaborative Effort’
According to Ahold Delhaize’s Muller, “Success in this journey is a collaborative effort, requiring us to share knowledge and collaborate on projects to achieve critical mass. Strengthening our impact means both action and a little bit of marketing, to bring people and companies together for meaningful change towards a more sustainable world.
“Recognising and seizing this opportunity is crucial, as I’m sure we all want to set our future generations up for success.”
The CGF, which is set to hold its Global Summit in Chicago in June, is a CEO-led organisation representing both manufacturers and retailers globally, bringing together senior leaders from over 400 businesses across 70 countries.
Its member companies have combined sales of €4.6 trillion and directly employ nearly ten million people, with an estimated further 90 million related jobs along the value chain.
Read More: The Consumer Goods Forum Launches Tool To Accelerate Decarbonisation
