ABOVE: Australian Pork Limited to launch a consumer-focused sustainability campaign in February.
Given people’s busy lives, having an interest and understanding of pork production isn’t on most people’s radar.
In one regard, some may see this as a strength for the industry, however there is a missed opportunity to showcase all the good we do by highlighting our audacious industry targets – which, in today’s current society, matters for corporate social responsibility.
The Australian pork industry launched its first Sustainability Framework in 2021, committing to creating a more sustainable industry for people, pigs, planet and prosperity.
Over the past four decades, the industry has been proactively working to reduce its impact on the environment.
By maintaining natural resources and using renewable energy sources, the industry has successfully reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 69 percent per kilogram of pork, reduced water consumption by 80 percent and reduced fossil fuel use by 58 percent — and has moved to utilising electricity generation from farm waste, closing the waste cycle and improving efficiency.
While the industry still has some way to go with adoption of renewable technology, it’s not only progress in sustainability that progress has been made.
With an inclusive workforce – welcoming and employing individuals from diverse backgrounds – it is time to reframe the way the industry is perceived and how people view pork.
To communicate this commitment to consumers, later this month, Australian Pork Limited is launching a consumer-focused sustainability campaign.
The campaign is focused on sparking conversations among Australian meat consumers about pork’s sustainability credentials and aims to communicate the good work the industry is doing as we continue our sustainability journey.
By sparking this conversation, communicating where we are currently at and where we are going as an industry, it is our goal to grow positive sentiments toward our sector.
We aim to build trust and mutual respect, so consumers can feel good about choosing pork – knowing the sector is sustainable and our people really do care.
What we do know is that the average consumer is looking for product versatility, which pork provides.
Industry investment into versatility awareness and how to cook pork continues to support consumer choice — but it’s now time for consumers to know that when they buy pork, they are making a climate-friendly protein choice.
Australian pork has never been greener.
The industry is a leader when it comes to conserving the environment.
Not only does the sector aim to be zero waste by 2025 but that 60 percent of the Australian pork industry will use waste recycling and renewable energy by 2030.
We must tell the story of pork production for acceptance and positive sentiment to develop between the sector and the wider community.
By investing into a consumer-facing campaign that focuses on the industry rather than the product, increased transparency and better awareness will be created on the good work the industry continues to do.
As Australian pork aims to lead the way in sustainability, APL knows it needs to engage others to help on this journey.
The upcoming campaign is a celebration of our farmers and the people who are helping us create a more sustainable industry.
This campaign builds on the past two years of work, which have included the launch of the virtual tour and careers portal, multiple producer-focused promotional videos, developing and mentoring industry spokespeople, research and extension-focused activities, and further leverages community expectations around environmental stewardship.
Now that we have built this strong foundation, we’re ready to focus on consumer awareness.
We know that community trust is hard to build and extremely easy to lose.
There is no simple solution or one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to telling our story.
The team behind the campaign is looking forward to it launching this month and we are excited to share more details with you all soon.
So, stay tuned and keep an eye on our social media channels and Australian Pork Limited website for our latest campaign – australianpork.com.au
