CHICAGO, IL - Logistics giant and parents of the CHEP and IFCO brands, Brambles, is taking on a few of the industry’s most pressing issues in a big new way. The company has signed a three-year agreement with the international non-profit organization The Global FoodBanking Network (GFN). In Brambles’ fight against hunger, poverty, food waste, and malnutrition, the company will be providing supply chain knowledge, in-kind contributions, volunteers, and donations to help finance GFN operations.
“Brambles is highly committed to deliver sustainable value in the communities where we operate. Food banks are a great example of that,” explained Brambles CEO, Tom Gorman upon the announcement of the new partnership. “Our new relationship with GFN builds on our multi-year engagement working with our customers to support food banks around the world. In addition, Brambles efforts to expand both the capacity and capabilities of GFN Network to address hunger is an important part of our comprehensive approach to addressing food security.”
The company is announcing this agreement as the United Nations FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) has reported the global value of food lost or wasted annually at 1.3 billion tons, or $680 billion in industrialized countries and $310 billion in developing countries. Statistics have also revealed nearly 800 million people suffer from hunger every day.
“We are honored to partner with Brambles to leverage its expertise, products, and leadership to help drive efficiency and scale in food banks around the world,” said Lisa Moon, President and CEO of GFN. “We would like to thank Brambles for their commitment to the fight against world hunger while also advancing sustainability.”
According to a press release, GFN’s food banks distributed 421,840 metric tons of food to 6.8 million needy people last year, as part of a partnership with 27,000 charitable organizations and social centers. The GFN network consists of a total of 792 food banks located in 32 countries.
“We are focused on reducing post-harvest food loss, improving the ability of small holder farmers to access modern packaging that protects the integrity of the product and enhances food safety,” added Gorman. “Whether we are working with individual food banks, the GFN, The Consumer Goods Forum, or Enactus, our employees are dedicated to improving access to food and economic opportunity and to improving the sustainability of our environment.”
With Zero Hunger as the number two goal of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), food loss and waste are recognized by Organizations such as the World Bank, the United Nations FAO, and the Consumer Goods Forum, (CGF) as critical challenges in the fight to reduce hunger, protect the environment, and grow economic opportunity. ANUK looks forward to seeing the great work in store from this new partnership.
