ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The organization previously known as the National Renderers Association (NRA) has rebranded as the North American Renderers Association (NARA), a move that includes a new logo and tagline emphasizing sustainability, which reads, “Reclaiming Resources, Sustainably.”

The organization maintained the same name, tagline and logo that it was founded with in 1933 until recently, as the rendering industry shifts focus toward the environmentally beneficial attributes it offers.

A large part of the rebrand was to realign the association with its true value as a sustainable method of diverting food waste and extracting value from waste streams and stray away from negative portrayals of the rendering industry as a whole, NARA said.

Roughly 50% of animal ingredients are deemed inedible by human standards. However, this doesn’t mean they cannot be utilized in other forms.

“Most people don’t even understand what rendering is, let alone include it in the sustainability conversation,” said Ridley Bestwick, chairman of NARA and director of finance and CFO of West Coast Reduction Ltd. “In fact, rendering is a huge player in the reduction of food waste and in environmental, social, and economic sustainability.”

According to NARA, renderers are responsible for recycling 19 billion lbs. of otherwise wasted animal ingredients — such as protein, bone and fat from livestock and poultry meat — each year by reducing and repurposing them into usable ingredients for animal foods, biofuels, household and industrial products.

Hygienic rendering processes keep approximately 90% of potential greenhouse gas emissions from entering our atmosphere, a reduction rate equivalent to taking nearly 12 million cars off the roads, NARA said.  

Rendering has other uses, such as generating clean water and reducing the environmental footprint of animal agriculture. Additionally, the industry adds thousands of full-time jobs to the North American workforce, especially in rural areas.

“This was a highly positive change for our association since a more unique name and acronym make it easier for those looking for rendering information to find it,” Bestwick said.  “Educating about rendering’s massive contribution to global sustainability is one of NARA’s most important goals.  We want to educate people and get rendering into the sustainability conversation so both current and incoming generations understand its importance.”

In 2017, members of the pet food and rendering industries established Pet Food Alliance, a collaborative space to help manufacturers, suppliers and members of related academic communities develop solutions to challenges facing their industries.

The alliance has grown from 30 to more than 100 members since it was founded and hosts biannual meetings where working groups discuss product safety, oxidation and product quality, and sustainability and consumer perception.

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