Policy and Legal Pathways for a Greener Economy: Exploring the Capacity of the Food and Beverage Processing Sector to Implement the Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

As the 2030 deadline to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals approaches, the integration of sustainability into corporate structures is essential. This dissertation investigates the critical role of the food and beverage processing sector in promoting sustainable development and assesses the sector’s alignment with SDG indicators. Through a systematic literature review, the research reveals that sustainability discourse within the FBP sector is fragmented and often lacks a clear SDG-oriented focus. To address this, the United Nations SDG Compass and related corporate indicators were used to determine the most applicable indicators for the sector. The study then analyses how current Canadian legislation supports food and beverage processing compliance with these sustainability objectives. Methodologically, the research adopts a content analysis approach informed by a coding tree based on SDG indicators. Data were gathered from the sustainability reports and official communications of 26 food and beverage processing firms operating in Canada. Findings show that food and beverage processing companies, on average, positively impacted 40.3% of Sustainable Development Goal indicators. However, when indicators were divided between those requiring transparency versus progress over time, the study revealed that only 25.8% of indicators relating to progress were positively impacted. This highlights a tendency for firms to prioritise less demanding actions, such as transparency or one-time initiatives, over long-term, systemic improvements. The study underscores the food and beverage processing sector’s strategic relevance and untapped potential in advancing sustainable development. Rather than critiquing individual actors, the research aims to support evidence-based decision-making and issue a call to action for industry, policymakers, and stakeholders to harness low-hanging opportunities for meaningful progress toward the SDGs.