FeedNavigator attended the Roundtable on Sustainable Soy's (RTRS) annual, two-day conference in Lille two weeks ago to catch up with some key retail representatives and sustainability experts.
Belinda Howell, representative for the Retailers' Soy Group, said sustainable soy had been on the agenda for some time.
"The retailers soy group, for example, formed itself in about 2013, so it's been on the agenda at least five years," ​Howell told FeedNavigator.
Ignacio Galivan, director of environmental sustainability at The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF), said compared to two years ago, the push for sustainability on this "hidden commodity" ​was much stronger.
"It comes down to the ambition of the companies and their sustainability ethos to go after sustainable sourcing. It is happening, it's increasing – there's more visibility now than 18 months or two years ago​."
Because of this, he said it was good the feed industry got "more visibility"​ and took their space.
Retailers and manufacturers did not have control over soy sourcing, he said, because there were a number of layers between them and soy producers. "In between the producers and retailers, the feed industry comes in,"​ he said.
Annually, around 80% of soy production is used for animal feed, so how do retailers engage with the feed sector?
Forum for the Future recently conducted a big study about the negative aspects of feed on climate change and biodiversity, and after bringing results to retail partners were confronted with responses that they couldn't influence producers of the feed directly, all they could do was talk to their direct suppliers.
Despite the current tenuous links, Porritt said it was an area that "could evolve pretty rapidly", ​particularly if industry followed those currently doing a good job in this space.
"...We're not the only ones saying that, if you talk to people both anecdotally and factually, somehow the demand hasn't quite moved on to where we would expect it to be​."
Nick Major, president of the European Feed Manufacturers Federation, FEFAC, speaking during a panel debate at RTRS event.
The cost of sustainable soy was falling on someone or some part of the supply chain, he said, because they don't just disappear.