Source Responsibly - Regionally

Cost
LOW
Cost
MEDIUM
Cost
HIGH
EFFORT
low
EFFORT
medium
EFFORT
HIGH
IMPACT
low
IMPACT
MEDIUM
IMPACT
HIGH

Buy Regional ASEAN Products. It may not be essential in terms of carbon footprint for some products but it's essential for fresh and perishable ones. It helps to support surroundings economies and local communities, secure food supplies, raise awareness on food production and supply chain. It is also an opportunity to be more creative with well known products.

Promote your actions with the local farmers and suppliers: it benefits them and your image at the same time.

Look for regional certifications and labels. See international certifications in the additional resources below.

When sourcing products, look at all the other sustainable aspects:

  • integrate side effects such as deforestation and deterioration of natural ecosystems for main raw materials (especially soy, palm oil, beef & fish...)
  • reduce packaging as much as possible
  • avoid air-freight transportation
  • negotiate prices that will allow farmers to preserve a correct income and secure their environment to prevent work accidents and illnesses
  • integrate ethical work conditions (minimum salaries levels, no forced labor, no child work...)
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Some recognized international ecolabels for fish and seafood:

Other recognized certifications for food products recommended by WWF:

  • Forest Stewardship Council® (certification is designated for responsibly produced wood and paper products, some of which is used to package food)
  • Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (certifies responsibly produced palm oil)
  • Bonsucro (certifies sugarcane production that uses water efficiently, limits chemical use, protects wildlife and their habitats, and promotes workers’ rights)
  • Rainforest Alliance (found on wood and agricultural products and tourism operations, including bananas, beef, cocoa, coffee, diapers, flowers, paper, soap, tea, and travel destinations)

For sustainable Palm Oil, support PM Haze People's Movement to Stop Haze which encourages sustainable palm oil consumption and not the Palm Oil boycott. Palm oil is, according to PM Haze, the most land efficient oil crop. Furthermore, palm oil cultivation is the livelihood of many farmers in Indonesia and Malaysia. It is, therefore, more sustainable to source Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) produced by responsible companies which do not engage in practices such as burning and deforestation.