Analys av livsmedelsföretags strategier i förhållande till branschens hållbarhetsutmaningar : En studie baserad på förädlingsföretag inom kött- och mejeriproduktion

Sammanfattning: Today, companies' sustainability work is considered business-critical, and more demands are arising within the area. The requirements are based on environmental factors, where the declining biodiversity and scarce resources make it crucial for companies to find new solutions for both resource efficiency and products. Currently, customers and consumers are putting most pressure on companies, but policies, laws and instruments are also starting to tighten. One industry that is facing major changes and challenges is the food industry, where vegan alternatives are emerging that outcompete the traditional companies. The report examines how food companies in meat and dairy production meet society's sustainability challenges. It studies the companies' sustainability work, what strengths and weaknesses they have, and what their opportunities are considering a long-term survival. In the report, three different categories have been identified, with different attributes and driving forces, to provide guidelines for firms in their future sustainability work. The study shows that many of the traditional companies are not always aware about the vitality of working with a long-term perspective when it comes to sustainability; Thus, missing opportunities to strengthen their competitiveness as well as possible revenue streams and hence miss their chances for long-term survival. Due to the lack of a system perspective and open innovation, companies are working reactively towards the market instead of actively trying to influence it. By working proactively in line with research and daring to work more with open innovation and collaborations, companies instead have an opportunity to steer the market in a favourable direction for both society and for themselves. This way they can also increase the probability of capturing the opportunities that arise and taking advantage of the revenue-generating cascades that are made possible through various collaborations throughout the value chain and outside of it. However, this is based on the companies understanding their role also in systems outside their own value chain, how the environment is affecting them but also how the firms affect the environment themselves. Those firms who have begun to understand the importance of working long-term with sustainability, and thus created more incentives than just financial ones, do not risk prioritize short-term financial gain over their sustainability work. This is believed to benefit the company’s likelihood of dealing with sustainability challenges, since it makes them more self-sufficient, thus increasing their chance to survival long term on the upcoming market.