The Pet Sustainability Coalition (PSC) and World Pet Association (WPA) interviewed 250 pet industry professionals during SuperZoo 2018 to create its first ever joint industry report on trends in sustainability for the pet food market. The report gauged responders’ outlooks, opinions and predictions about the sustainability of the pet food market. Trends showed an increasing emphasis on the importance of sustainability as well as a need to address and improve current sustainability methods, among other insights.

The report revealed 91% of respondents said they expect demand for sustainable, socially conscious companies to increase over the next five years, a 30% increase from a 2015 survey conducted by PSC. The report also revealed only about 16% of professionals think of the pet industry as sustainable.

The results also suggest there is much room for improvement. Of the 250 people interviewed, 36% admitted their company has no sustainability program, and only 23% reported their company’s sustainability program was “effective” or “very effective.” This comes as a 7% decline from the 2015 survey, according to the report.

Three overarching areas of improvement in sustainability were indicated by the report: employee attraction and retention, sourcing raw ingredients and materials, and packaging. The report also revealed not many people admit to fully understanding sustainable practices. PSC emphasized the importance of education, collaboration, and being aware of resources when it comes to sustainability.

Inside the report, Caitlyn Dudes, executive director of PSC, said, “Over the last five years our team has prioritized helping pet companies of all sizes and types build a roadmap for addressing their environmental and social impact in a way that delivers measurable business success. Our focus on tools and education directly aligns with the needs expressed by pet industry professionals and we are delighted to see the clear advantage that our members are experiencing as a result of their investment in membership.”

Jacinthe Moreau, president of WPA, added, “The pet industry is striving to meet the demands of conscientious pet owners who wish to minimize the environmental impact of their consumption, especially related to their pets.”

The PSC is a nonprofit membership organization founded in 2013 by a group of eight pet companies who recognized the growing demand for sustainable business practices and products in the pet industry.  Now with more than 80 members, PSC continues to provide access to education, tools, and collaborative processes to advance pet businesses through profitable environmental and social business practices.

Download the full report for free.

Read more about sustainability in the pet food and treat markets inside our March 2019 digital edition, where we asked industry experts about sustainably sourcing ingredients and achieving zero waste in pet food production.