Sustainable Food Trade Association

Implementing Sustainability
A Case Study











The Sustainable Food Trade Association is a non-profit trade association that represents
North American organic food companies. Our membership is comprised of a diverse mix of
organic producers, processors, manufacturers, distributors and retailers. We support our
members in implementing innovative sustainable business practices across the supply chain,
from farm to retail.

Mission
Build the capacity of the organic food trade to transition to sustainable business models.
Vision
Our vision is to conduct our businesses in a way that meets the needs of the present
generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
We recognize that ecology; human communities and economy are interwoven into a
seamless net of causes and effects. Therefore we embrace the challenge to move our
operations and actions toward sustainable models where the management of resources, the
direction of investments, the orientation of development, and the evolution of the organic
food trade becomes consistent with the principles of sustainability.
We agree to strive for continuous improvement and to practice transparency in annually
auditing our organizations in the following areas:

Organic | Distribution | Energy | Climate Change | Water | Waste | Packaging | Labor |
Animal Care | Education | Governance

As growers, processors, handlers, brokers, certifiers and retailers in the organic food trade,
members of SFTA are deeply concerned about the unprecedented scale and speed of
environmental pollution and degradation, climate change, and depletion of natural and
human resources that our business practices may cause. We believe urgent actions are
needed to address these fundamental problems and reverse these trends. It is for this
reason that SFTA presents case studies of our members to share their practices to the wider
industry.








Clif Bar At a Glance
Clif Bar and Company is a family- and employee-owned business focused on sports nutrition
and snacks. It has been making energy bars since 1992. In 2001, Clif Bar launched its
sustainability program with commitments to organic food and farming, and to reducing its
ecological footprint. Its environmental program quickly evolved into a unique holistic
business model based on Clif Bars five bottom lines or aspirations: Sustaining its business,
brands, people, planet and community. The company gives an account of its progress in two
reports: Moving Toward Sustainability, published biennially since 2001, and the All
Aspirations Annual Report, published every year since 2007. In July 2009, Clif Bar became a
member of the Sustainable Food Trade Association (SFTA) and signed the Declaration of
Sustainability, a pledge committing to continuous improvement and transparency in
sustainability reporting.

Overview: Clif Bars Climate Action
ProgramOne good step leads to
another.

In 2003, Clif Bar announced that it had
measured the carbon footprint generated by
business energy use and would offset (or
climate neutralize) that impact by investing in
community-owned wind turbines (or by helping
to build new sources of renewable energy). Thi
commitment to understanding and taking
responsibility for its climate impact set in
motion dozens of other changes in the way tha
the company does business, from internal
efforts like the Cool Commute program and the
solar array on its new LEED Platinum-certified
office, to more far-reaching efforts to promote
sustainability in its supply chain and raise publi
awareness. At the same time, Clif Bars
commitment to organic agriculture grew
steadily and along with it, the benefits that
organic offers not only to peoples health, but
also to the climate solution.


Solar Array on Clif Bars LEED Platinum-certified office
Clif Bars Holistic Approach to
Climate Action




Early Days: Connecting the Dots Between Food, Carbon, and Climate
Responsibility

When Gary Erickson decided not to sell the company in April of 2000, but to stay private, he
was choosing to run a different kind of companyin the words of Ericksons wife, co-owner
Kit Crawford, the kind of place wed want to work, that makes the kind of food wed like to
eat, and that strives for a healthier, more sustainable worldthe kind of world wed like to
pass on to our children. Within a year, they had hired an ecologist to help take Clif Bar
organic.

Recognizing that nearly 20% of energy use in the U.S. economy is related to the food system,
Clif Bars ecologist, Elysa Hammond, decided that to create an effective and relevant
sustainability program, Clif Bar would need to understand and take responsibility for its
carbon footprint. Colleagues at Co-op America (now Green America) recommended an offset
provider, NativeEnergy, which helped build renewable energy projects that also generated
social benefits. In assessing NativeEnergys social benefits model Hammond knew she had
found the right partner.

In 2002, Clif Bar conducted its first study of the carbon emissions generated by its
headquarters, business travel and bakeries. In 2003 the company offset its carbon footprint
in partnership with NativeEnergy by helping to build the first large-scale, Native American-
owned wind turbine. (That same year, Clif Bar also joined the EPAs Green Power Partnership
and went organic.) Now, 10 years and 33 renewable-energy projects later, Clif Bars
commitment to tracking and offsetting its carbon footprint continues to play a central role in
the companys evolving sustainability story; its made carbon a leading sustainability metric,
and climate action a leading company priority.
Clif Bars
logistics
partner in
Southern
California
uses a fleet
of biodiesel-
powered
trucks to
haul the
companys
food to
customers.

Implementing Sustainability Clif Bar
2013 Sustainable Food Trade Association
Climate Education and Outreach Through Field Marketing

Inspired by the companys support of green power, Clif Bars field marketing team asked
themselves how they could create a grassroots marketing program aligned with the
companys climate commitment. In 2004, they launched the first climate-neutral mobile
marketing tour, which they used as an opportunity to educate the public about global
warming while giving away bars from a biodiesel-powered van. In 2005, they supported the
first-ever climate neutral triathalon, Escape from Alcatraz, in San Francisco. Climate action
was creatively built into other outreach programs, such as GreenNotes, the 2-Mile
Challenge, and Save Our Snowpromoting greener music events, advocating for bikes over
cars, and raising climate awareness among skiers and snowboarders.

Of particular note are Clif Bar Cool Tags, Start Global
Cooling stickers sold at athletic and music events across the
country. Each sticker offset about 300 miles of driving and
included tips on ways to reduce your carbon footprint. Over
33,000 Cool Tags were sold over the next three years to
support the construction of community-owned wind turbines,
representing just under 1 million pounds of CO2 offsets.
To make sure that the field marketing teams were walking the
talk, all field marketing vehicles began running on biodiesel in
2007.
Employee Benefits: Cool Commute and Cool Home programs

Employees wanted to do more to reduce their own climate
impacts so in December 2006 (the same month that Al
Gore spoke at a company meeting), Clif Bar announced the
launch of the Cool Commute program, which provides
employees with a $6,500 taxable cash incentive to use
toward the purchase of a high-mileage hybrid, electric,
biodiesel or natural gas-fueled vehicle. To date, more than
100 employees have taken advantage of this benefit to
purchase greener cars. Employees who commute to work
on foot, by bike, or on public transportation can earn up to
$960 a year in rewards for eliminating cars from their commutes.

In 2008, Clif Bar expanded the benefits program to include incentives for eco-improvements
at home. Employees can receive up to $1,000 annually to make changes to their home
ecosystem that will reduce energy, water and/or waste. Employees have used the benefit
to install solar, insulation, energy-efficient windows, Energy Star appliances, low flow toilets,
and home composters. To date, nearly 70% of Clif employees have participated in the Cool
Home program.

Implementing Sustainability Clif Bar
2013 Sustainable Food Trade Association
Developing Deeper Engagement Through a Greener Supply Chain

Inspired by the field marketing teams use of biodiesel, Clif Bars logistics partner in Southern
California began using biodiesel (B99) to ship bars from the bakeries to the warehouse.
Hammond wanted to learn more about the climate footprint of shipping, and sought help
from Chandler Kneer, Clif Bars supply chain analyst. Kneer jumped at the chance to help
quantify the companys carbon footprint from transporting product and soon her job
expanded to include the collection and management of sustainability metrics at Clif Bar.

In 2008, Clif Bar began to offset shipping from its bakeries to its distribution centers by
increasing its investments in help build carbon offsets. All CO2 emissions generated by
headquarters, business travel, bakeries and shippingas well as Clif Bars historic emissions
dating back to the companys start in 1992--have been offset by 33 investments in new
farmer-, community- and school-owned wind turbines. In addition, Clif Bar has begun to
engage in conversations with key supply chain partners, asking that suppliers procure green
power and join the EPA Green Power Partnership.

Clif Bar began working with NativeEnergy in 2002. The companys sustainability
efforts strike a balance between thoughtful actions to avoid creating emissions,
genuine efforts to reduce what cant be avoided, and taking responsibility for the
footprint they do have. Clif Bar, unlike many other companies, then goes to the next
level by highlighting the steps, both forwards and backwards, in their sustainability
journey so that their consumers can be inspired and their corporate peers can learn
from them. - Kevin Hackett at NativeEnergy
Since 2001, Clif Bars offsets have
supported the construction of five
school-owned wind turbines in
Indiana. In addition to generating
much-needed income for the schools,
the wind turbines provide hands-on
learning opportunities for kids in math
and science, and have inspired the
development of a statewide
curriculum on renewable energy. The
wind turbine here is at the high school
in Kokomo, Indiana.
Photo Courtesy of NativeEnergy

Partnerships for Broader impact

Clif Bar understands that its not enough to reduce its own footprintthe real goal is to help
build the climate movement. This includes working with others to reach out to policy
makers, so in 2009, Clif Bar joined other like-minded companies to flex their climate policy
muscles through participation in BICEP (Business for Innovative Climate & Energy Policy), an
alliance of businesses speaking up for strong climate policy, renewable energy, and green
jobs both nationally and internationally. Grants from the Clif Bar Family Foundation support
climate-related organizations such as 350.org, Clean Air Cool Planet, Alliance for Climate
Education, and Grid Alternatives. http://clifbarfamilyfoundation.org/Grantees/search-
results/PLANET
Fight Global Warming With Your Knife and Fork

As identified from the start of the companys efforts for climate advocacy, the most
significant carbon-reducing action is the support of organic farming. Research shows that
organic farming uses 30-50% less fossil fuels than conventional farming. In the 2012 issue of
Moving Toward Sustainability, Clif Bar reported that its use of organic oats and soy in North
America from 2002 through 2011 had helped it to avoid the use of more than 6 million
pounds of energy-intensive chemical fertilizers and pesticides. In addition, when land is
farmed using organic practices, carbon is stored in the soil (a process known as soil carbon
sequestration) rather than released into the atmosphere.

In 2012, Clif Bar bought over 79 million pounds of organic ingredients, bringing its total
organic purchases to date to 330 million pounds. Currently, about 70% of all the ingredients
the company buys are certified organic.

Lessons learned and the future.
From the beginning, Clif Bar took an intentional, holistic approach to climate action. The
company demonstrated early leadership by offsetting its fossil fuel use through support for
the construction of renewable energy projects that benefited local communities. It also
helped build the broader climate movement through outreach to business partners and
policymakers. Its focus today on quantifying the climate benefits of organic agriculture
through the products it makes is yet another example of the intentionality and holistic
approach necessary to demonstrate a companys commitment to sustainability.



Implementing Sustainability is a series of case studies
intended to provide practical examples of how SFTA Members
execute on the SFTA declaration areas. By highlighting the
work of companies with strong systems in place, we hope to
encourage wider adoption of sustainability practices and
encourage transitioning companies towards sustainable
business models.

For more information, visit:
http://sustainablefoodtrade.org/case-studies
2013 Sustainable Food Trade Association www.sustainablefoodtrade.org