Do the right thing: how is CSR evolving across the global pet industry?
Ethics and sustainability are front of mind worldwide, and manufacturers are responding with initiatives designed to give back to the planet, to people – and to their pets.
Cutting your carbon footprint, responsible sourcing, raising millions for charitable causes – the pet industry is investing more than ever in corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs. This reflects a growing legal obligation to divulge how a business addresses social and environmental impact within its value chain.
Be ethical… or lose customers
The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive entered into force in 2023, requiring large companies to publish their progress on environmental, social and governance matters via annual reports. But greater efforts toward CSR schemes also reflect the changing values of their global consumer base.
Nearly two thirds (63%) of consumers feel that ethical issues are becoming more important, according to Mintel research, and 34% of Gen Z are willing to boycott companies they feel aren’t doing their best to give back. So, what types of CSR programs are pet manufacturers focusing on? And what impact are they having – both on the planet and on the business itself?
CSR as company purpose
At Italian pet food manufacturer Almo Nature, CSR isn’t an add-on, it is integral to how the business operates, explains Marketing Manager Costanza Levera.
In 2018, 8 years after the brand launched, founder Pier Giovanni Capellino announced all future revenues (after costs and taxes) would be used to fund the work of a newly created non-profit philanthropic foundation, Fondazione Capellino.
The company’s commercial model – which Capellino has dubbed the ‘reintegration economy’ – also flips traditional CSR on its head, as the charitable foundation owns Almo Nature, rather than the other way around, meaning donations can’t be withdrawn. “We are not just a purpose-driven company, we are the purpose,” says Levera.
“The mission of Almo Nature is the same mission as the Fondazione Capellino, because we’re the same entity. There is no conflict of interest, because all that we gain goes toward this shared purpose, which is the protection of biodiversity.”
There are 5 core pillars that shape this work: habitat and biodiversity corridors; climate change; biodiverse agriculture; impact of human activities on biodiversity; and the restoration of historic buildings at Villa Fortuna. This year, for example, saw the start of farmhouse renovations at the site that will become the HQ of a new biodiversity school.
Building a brand ethos
At other pet product manufacturers and brands, although CSR priorities might not be quite so inextricably linked to business operations, they’re still fundamental to brand ethos. That is certainly the case at Scottish pet food firm Rùn Dog Food.
“Rùn is a Scottish Gaelic word, meaning ‘to have purpose’, and we hold that very strongly here,” says founder Lucy Millar. “While our main purpose is providing excellent nutrition with honesty and integrity, we also take great pride in being as sustainable as we can.”
For a small brand, there are limits to the changes it can make to how it sources sustainable ingredients, but it has focused heavily on creating eco-packaging. “If I spend all this time and energy creating food that is simply good for dogs, then I want the packaging to reflect the contents and also to be better for the environment than the current options we see on supermarket shelves,” says Millar.
All Rùn’s products were packed in brown kraft paper or compostable cellulose. Thinking there might be a way to do even better, packaging was scrapped completely and retailers given the option to bulk buy in 25 kg sacks. Customers can bring reusable containers and purchase exactly as much as their dog needs.
The brand avoids single-use and waste elsewhere in its business, too. For example, on learning that the printed backdrops used at trade shows are routinely used once and binned, it began using large rolls of hessian and some string to set up its stand instead. “The natural aesthetic fitted our brand perfectly and customers absolutely loved it.”
Planet-friendly pet food
UK-based Omni has a similar strategy. “Our ethical brand positioning is still very much at the core of who we are,” says co-founder and vet, Dr. Guy Sandelowsky. The brand says its use of novel proteins to create the brand’s vegan pet food range makes its products more sustainable and ethical than other options, but it also invests in additional CSR initiatives.
These include an ongoing application to become a B Corp – considered the gold standard for ethical brands – and a partnership with business sustainability platform Greenspark to plant trees. “We aim to introduce products that are packed in recyclable or biodegradable packaging,” says Sandelowsky. “We also support charities and charitable pet events with free products.”
Reducing the carbon pawprint
Though creating a more ethical enterprise is one motivation for business owners taking the time to invest in CSR, there are also clear commercial upsides. L.E.K. Consulting conducted a Global Consumer Sustainability Survey in 2024 among 5,000 consumers in Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Spain, the UK and the US.
The research findings show that 54% of pet food buyers are willing to pay a premium for more sustainable products, versus just a quarter 3 years ago. Only a small percentage (7%) said it would make no difference to their purchase decision.
“I think that these values get more important year on year,” says Millar from Rùn. “We, as pet owners, like to know that our pets are well taken care of first and foremost, but knowing that we are also helping to reduce their carbon pawprint, and that the brands we order from are doing their best, is of huge importance.”
Taking center stage
There can be challenges in meeting this consumer demand – particularly for a business like Almo Nature, where CSR and commercial operations are so intertwined.
“We struggle daily with distribution, because distributors only want more discounts and better contracts,” says Levera. “They don’t care about what a company or brand brings to the community. They don’t understand that which product they offer to their consumer makes a difference, today and for the future.”
She adds: “Our products are just an instrument to achieve our real final aim.” And although Almo Nature might be the only brand that can make that claim, it’s clear that CSR is taking center stage on corporate agendas across the whole global pet industry, as pressure grows on all brands and retailers to do the right thing.
Share this story:
