Sustainability news and insights – February 2025Sustainability news and insights – February 2025

In 2025, will companies redouble sustainability efforts — or heed the political winds of change? – article

President Trump’s first policy announcements had cast a long shadow over proceedings in Davos, even before he addressed the World Economic Forum virtually and invited business to come and make their products in the U.S. or face tariffs.

Though the winds of political change are coming, experts believe messaging is still important, but the fundamentals of what is happening and the imperative to make continuing progress on climate are unchanged. Some courage and new narratives may be necessary. Read more here.

Study suggests botanic gardens team up to save wild plants from extinction – article

Researchers analyzed a century of records (1921 to 2021) from fifty botanic gardens and arboreta currently growing half a million plants, to see how the world's living plant collections have changed over time.
The results suggest that the world's living collections have collectively reached peak capacity, and that restrictions on wild plant collecting around the world are hampering efforts to gather plant diversity on the scale needed to study and protect it. Read more here.

5 packaging industry trends to watch in 2025 – article

Like the rest of the business world, packaging companies and their customers are eagerly awaiting clarity on measures President Donald Trump will begin to take in office — which could shape dealmaking and investment decisions in the year to come.

States are also poised to wield their own influence through renewed policymaking and legal efforts. 2025 could also offer greater clarity on how companies see their public-facing sustainability strategies and approaches to plastic reduction evolving in future years.

These are some of the top factors that sources say could influence packaging business, policy and sustainability in 2025. Read more here.

Empowering smallholder farmers with AI tools can bolster global food security – article

In rural India, millions of farmers are leading a quiet revolution in climate resilience. Armed with AI-powered weather forecasts, they're making smarter decisions about when and what to plant, in some cases cutting their debts and increasing savings by up to 10% of their annual income. This success has catalyzed a billion-dollar initiative to expand similar AI-powered forecasting capabilities across Asia, Africa and Latin America — proof that the means exist to help farmers adapt to climate change. Read more here.

Notes from the field: KP Phyto expands sustainability projects to help farmers in India

Supply Chain Sustainability Stories: Notes from the field is designed to keep industry brands aware of the broad range of efforts suppliers around the world are making to improve their supply chains. In this edition, we highlight KP Phyto’s expanding program to assist ashwagandha farmers with whom they partner. Read more here.

Building a resilient food system begins at the farm – article

Regenerative agriculture has grown in popularity as a strategy for decarbonizing our food system. While it can help mitigate agriculture’s climate impacts, its importance is much greater — as regenerative agriculture plays a critical role in building the resilience of our food system to feed a growing global population.

By 2050, global food production will need to increase by 70% to meet demands from the world’s ever-increasing population. At the same time, climate change — along with other constraints on land, water and other natural resources — continues to pressure farmers and others throughout the food industry already dealing with constant supply chain disruptions and market volatility. Read more here.