Sustainable Sourcing Forum: A Transformative Role for Plant-Based Foods


May 1, 2024

The Sustainable Sourcing Initiative was founded to harness the power of the industry to protect nature, climate, and human health. Through research, education, and collaborative projects, the Initiative helps plant-based companies invest in agricultural resilience and build new markets for diverse crops, farms, and farmers.

Thank you for joining us for PBFI/SCA Sustainable Sourcing Forum & Community of Practice Launch on May 1.

Below you will find the meeting agenda and recordings!

Meeting Agenda

Click here for the Full Agenda! Sessions included:

  • Welcome: Harnessing the power of plant-based food

  • Putting the plants in plant-based

  • Innovative partnerships: Joining forces across the supply chain

  • New models for equity, ownership, and fair trade

  • Invitation to collective impact: The sustainable sourcing community of practice

Session Recordings

Welcome: Harnessing the Power of Plant-Based Food

Welcome, overview, and introduction to PBFI’s Sustainable Sourcing Initiative, founded to help the plant-based industry drive a more sustainable food system. We’ll share our vision for how the sector can create better opportunities for farmers, promote more regenerative and resilient agriculture, and support economic equity across the supply chain.

Elizabeth Sachs, Director, Sustainable Sourcing Initiative, Plant Based Foods Institute

Putting the Plants in Plant-Based

Hear why plant-based is an opportunity to diversify our farming systems and build markets for organic and regenerative farmers. Learn from the Danish model of plant-based and organic sector cooperation, which has driven groundbreaking investment in both industries and the world’s first national action plan for a plant-based transition.

Errol Schweizer, Founder and Owner, Errol Schweizer, LLC; Partner, Food and Agriculture, Impakt IQ | Joe Dickson, Co-founder and Head of Quality Standards and Policy, Merryfield, PBC | Rune-Christoffer Dragsdahl, General Director, Vegetarian Society of Denmark | Moderator: Rachel Dreskin, Chief Executive Officer, Plant Based Foods Association & Plant Based Foods Institute

Innovative Partnerships: Joining Forces Across the Supply Chain

It takes multi-sector collaboration to shift ingredients, build sustainable and equitable sourcing relationships, and support the adoption of new crops and growing practices. Learn how brands are leveraging public conservation programs and partnering with farmers, nonprofits, lenders, and retailers to help reshape their supply chains, invest in the transition to more regenerative and resilient agriculture, and drive customer value and business growth.

Sarah Speare, Co-Founder/CEO/Worker-Owner, Tootie’s Tempeh | Brandon Welch, Co-founder and CEO, Mad Capital | Lee Robinson, Vice-President of Merchandising, Grocery, Refrigerated, and Frozen, Whole Foods Market | Nic Podoll, Consulting Regional Manager, Northern Plains, Rodale Institute | Moderator: Jessica Hulse-Dillon, Senior Director, Soil & Climate Alliance

New Models for Equity, Ownership, and Fair Trade

Learn about one company's unique Purpose Trust employee ownership model & innovative strategy for “distributor supported agriculture.” Explore the journey to ethically produced cashews & the challenges and opportunities involved in sourcing this beloved plant-based staple. Discover a project supporting Black farmers in the South to advance racial justice and reclaim their rice heritage with regenerative agriculture and cooperative milling. Hear from a former fisherman who founded a regenerative seaweed hub providing tools, training, mentorship, & a marketplace for other ocean farmers, including those most threatened by climate change.

Stacy Kraker, Director of Sales, Marketing and Sourcing, Hummingbird Wholesale | Konda Mason, Founder and President, Jubilee Justice, Inc. | Juliet Wiebe-King, VP of Sustainability & Business Development, Red River Foods Group, Inc. | Bren Smith, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director, GreenWave | Moderator: Elizabeth Sachs, Director, Sustainable Sourcing Initiative, Plant Based Foods Institute

Invitation to Collective Impact

The Sustainable Sourcing Community of Practice will bring together plant-based brands working to diversify ingredients, support more ecological farming practices, and improve livelihoods for the people who grow and make our food. By sharing knowledge, strategies, and solutions to common challenges, members will advance their own sustainability goals and strengthen the industry’s collective impact. Learn more about plans for this exciting new network and bring your questions!

Jessica Hulse-Dillon, Senior Director, Soil & Climate Alliance | Carl Jorgensen, Agricultural Consultant, Plant Based Foods Institute

Thank you for joining us!

Questions? Reach out to Lindsey at ljohnson@soilclimatealliance.org.