Sustainability NGO Gets 175+ Food Companies to Commit to Responsible Sourcing in Asia

More than 175 food businesses across Asia have committed to improving their sourcing policies in light of sustainability and animal welfare, supported by a US non-profit.

A total of 83 food companies committed to implementing improved sourcing and production policies across Asia in 2024, as a result of campaigning by sustainability NGO Lever Foundation.

This is in addition to the 95 such corporate policies secured by the charity in 2022 and 2023 from food companies based or operating in Asia, impacting production covering “several million farm animals per year”.

“We’re encouraged by the growing commitment from food companies across Asia to adopt more sustainable and humane sourcing practices,” said Lily Tse, corporate outreach manager at Lever Foundation.

“These 83 new corporate policies generated last year represent meaningful progress. By working closely with companies of all sizes, from major producers to local restaurants, we’re seeing real transformation in how food is sourced and produced in Asia.”

China plant-based partnerships in focus

Among the corporate policies Lever Foundation says it generated last year are 17 shifts towards improved production systems, and five pledges to significantly ramp up the use of plant-based foods.

According to its website, it has helped shift 29 million corporate meals to plant-based and prevented 82 million kgs of CO2e from businesses each year.

Its impact in China is particularly notable. Lever Foundation partnered with IHG Hotels & Resorts Greater China to make 30% of the group’s offerings plant-based by 2025, a commitment that was matched a few months later by Dossen Hotel Group, and bettered by Orange Hotels, which pledged to convert 70% of its menus to plant-based options at 750 hotels.

Lever China also signed a strategic partnership with the Low-Carbon Hotel Development Institute, a state-affiliated organisation in China, to boost the adoption of plant-based foods in the country’s hotel industry.

These efforts come at a time when plant-based food is becoming more popular in local diets, making up a majority of the country’s protein supply. Polling shows that almost all (98%) Chinese consumers would eat more plants if they were informed about the benefits of a vegan diet.

China may be world’s largest meat consumer – making up 28% of the global consumption growth in the decade to 2023, with intakes set to increase further until 2030 – but experts suggest that half of all protein consumption in the country must come from alternative sources by 2060, if it is to decarbonise.

Both national and local governments are promoting plant-based and novel foods, with Beijing now home to the first cultivated meat and fermented protein R&D centre. And the China Vegan Society is gearing up for V-March, a monthlong vegan challenge inspired by Veganuary.

“The steady growth in corporate commitments throughout 2024 reflects the value of sustained engagement and clear communication for driving positive progress in the food system,” added Kertna Tharmaraja, communications manager at Lever Foundation.

Can Asian hospitality meet the sustainability moment?

The remaining 51 commitments generated by Lever Foundation in 2024 came from companies small, medium and large – including retailers, hospitality groups, bakeries, cafés and foodservice operators – to remove “particularly destructive practices” like caged farming from their supply chains.

Surveys by GMO Research show that at least three-quarters of consumers prefer cage-free eggs in markets like Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines.

In South Korea, Accor Hotels has removed caged eggs from 90% of its operations, and will fully eliminate them by this year, with support from Lever Foundation. This would speak to the 79% of Koreans who believe businesses should use cage-free eggs, and 69% who’re willing to spend more on them in restaurants.

So far, about 40% of the corporate policies it helped introduce have been implemented, with the remainder set to be rolled out in the years ahead, within publicly announced timelines. Of the 83 companies, 77 are based in Asia, with the rest having headquarters in Oceania, Europe or the Americas.

“Lever’s approach of working closely with partners across the supply chain has helped facilitate practical, implementable change that aligns with both business goals and sustainability imperatives,” said Tharmaraja.

“The willingness of businesses to embrace better practices – from improved production systems to expanded plant-based offerings – reflects an encouraging shift in corporate priorities and consumer expectations.”

According to PwC, 43% of consumers in Asia-Pacific are making more eco-minded purchases, and a third are changing how they eat in line with planetary health. And 55% say they’ll spend more to stay at an environmentally friendly hotel, much higher than their counterparts in the rest of the world (around 40%).

Meanwhile, Lever’s venture capital fund, called Lever VC, recently announced the first close of its Fund II, which will deploy an initial $50M in early-stage agrifood tech startups. Among the first five startups to receive financing are Gavan Technologies (maker of plant-protein-based Savor butter), sweet protein innovator Oobli, and mycelium meat startup Mush Foods. To date, Lever VC has completed over 100 investments in the category.