Empowering sustainable food production with Generative AI
Using GenAI to demystify the complexities of sustainable food production
Deloitte and dsm-firmenich, a global leader in nutrition, health and beauty, are working together to help reduce the environmental impact of producing animal protein. Using dsm-firmenich’s lifecycle assessment platform, Sustell™, combined with a Deloitte GenAI solution, new ways are being unlocked to enhance food sustainability and value creation for businesses – from feed to farm to fork.
Navigating the complexities of food and agriculture supply chain management
The global food system faces a critical challenge: balancing the demand for animal protein against the urgent need for environmental sustainability, both now and in the future.
But, knowing how to assess the environmental impact of producing, at scale, animal protein – from meat and seafood to eggs and milk – is no small feat. This impact, or “footprint”, is subject to a complex, ever-evolving set of sustainability requirements. These range from consumer demands to legal frameworks to guidelines from the value chain or financial institutions. In turn, navigating this regulatory landscape can require specialist expertise. But not all food production companies readily have access to these professionals.
Against this backdrop, Deloitte and dsm-firmenich sought to find a way to democratise how footprints are assessed and interpreted. Their collective goal was to unlock real-time insights based on a company’s own direct data to enable them to make more meaningful sustainability decisions.
GenAI learns as it goes, so information becomes more contextualised as time goes on. As a result, users get access to insights based on primary data that can help them to interpret footprint analyses.
Daan van der Zanden, Consulting, Deloitte Netherlands
Realising the benefits of real-time insights
A solution was found by combining a new GenAI chatbot – built by Deloitte – with dsm-firmenich’s lifecycle assessment platform, Sustell™.
Sustell™ uses feed and farm-level data to simplify the complexity of measuring, validating and improving the environmental sustainability of animal protein. The expanded functionality with GenAI allows users to ask the chatbot questions about regulation, sustainability guidelines or other relevant requirements within the context of their organisation’s data. This is leading to benefits for Sustell™ users.
Daan van der Zanden, Deloitte Consulting, Netherlands, said: “The GenAI chatbot can produce a break-down of complex information about a company’s footprint. But it’s done in a comprehensive, easy-to-understand way. GenAI learns as it goes, so information becomes more contextualised as time goes on. As a result, users get access to insights based on primary data that can help them to interpret footprint analyses. These facts and figures can better inform decisions that can accelerate a company’s sustainability journey.”
David Nickell, Vice-President of Sustainability, dsm-firmenich, commented: “There is a labour shortage of people who can provide required lifecycle assessment expertise. By evolving Sustell™ with GenAI, we hope to close this gap and enable how companies access tailored information. This paradigm shift with GenAI, one that makes data and insights more readily available and easily understood, will help clarify sustainability decisions and improve operations.”
Learning and scaling
Looking ahead, further plans are underway to build and scale access to Sustell™ and the GenAI platform so new sustainability opportunities can be revealed. This forms part of an ongoing global strategic collaboration with dsm-firmenich.
The solution is being tested with Sustell™ users as well as the platform’s customer service and business development teams. It will be further developed to strengthen its knowledge base, so it moves beyond interpretation of footprint results to include purpose-built report generation for banks or specific customers, for example.
Van der Zanden said: “We are looking to move beyond the prototype to make the tool accessible to others in the industry. It is really important that agricultural leaders have data and insights at their fingertips, as this can help to integrate sustainability considerations into core operations.”
Nickell added: “More can be done on an industrial scale to capture the industry’s end-to-end footprint. Using GenAI with Sustell™ is one way to achieve this. The added functionality within the platform will mean our users can make the best use of their resources whilst reducing waste and meeting the growing demand for sustainably produced animal protein. All of this will help the industry to embrace a more sustainable future.”
More can be done on an industrial scale to capture the industry’s end-to-end footprint. Using GenAI with Sustell™ is one way to achieve this.
David Nickell, Vice-President of Sustainability, dsm-firmenich
This collaboration embodies Deloitte's commitment to making an impact that matters. By exploring, developing, and scaling climate and nature-positive solutions, the firm is actively contributing to a more sustainable future for the food industry. This initiative aligns with our broader efforts surrounding the future of food and sustainability, aiming to transform the food system and reduce its environmental impact.
To learn more about Sustell™, visit here.
