PwC to hold webinar on ESG practices for food and beverage industry

PwC Sri Lanka with the aim of supporting the food and beverage industry in the country adopt its business operations and practices to align towards a sustainable future, has partnered with the Export Development Board to hold a webinar tilted ‘ESG towards a responsible future in the Food and Beverage Industry’ on 24 August from 3.00 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. 

Covering salient topics that include in outlining what is ESG in the food and beverage industry, challenges and opportunities for consumer markets and examples related to the industry, the webinar will focus on giving guidance to leaders in the food and beverage industry on global ESG trends in the F&B industry and how manufacturers could establish company level ESG strategies. This will be backed by a panel discussion on Sustainability in the F&B Industry in Sri Lanka. 

The eminent panel of speakers lined up for the webinar include EDB Chairman and Chief Executive Suresh de Mel who will deliver the keynote address, followed by PwC Netherlands Advisory Leader Finance Sustainability Sebastiaan Nijhuis, PwC – India Partner – ESG Strategy, Net-zero/Carbon Neutrality, and Sustainable Finance Sandeep Kumar Mohanty, Ceylon Tea Roadmap 2030 Chairman Anil Cooke, and Sri Lanka Food Processors’ Association Past President and Tropical Life Ltd. Managing Director Dhammika Gunasekara. The panel discussion will be moderated by PwC Sri Lanka ESG leader and Director Zahra Cader.

Zahra Cader stated that a sustainability strategy and an actionable roadmap to achieve a more sustainable future is what will drive value creation for the food and beverage industry in the future. She further explained that the challenges and opportunities posed in ESG for the sector will include sourcing, manufacturing, transporting and waste management of products sold, along with human capital management with diversity, health and safety being critical aspects to consider with increasing consumer and investor demand on accountability and compliance to a set of internationally-recognised standards. 

From developing a strategy and roadmap, having resilient value chains, to reducing resource consumption, the webinar will overall assist the food and beverage industry better understand ESG best practices and provide valuable insights on operating more competitively.