Making Sustainable Dairy the Norm

By Kaya Freiman on behalf of Roth® Cheese

While many will say it never left, sustainability is back. After years of carryout containers, curbside pickup and going back to “paper or plastic” at the grocery store, many consumers have come out of COVID-19 survival mode with a renewed interest in how companies are working to become more sustainable and help stem the effects of climate change.

According to a sustainability keynote report from food and beverage intelligence platform Datassential, 64% of consumers say it's important to them to make sustainable choices that limit their impact on the environment.

In the Madison area 64% might seem a little low. Thinking globally and acting locally has been the norm for decades. Residents have long purchased shares from CSAs, toted reusable bags around town and dined at restaurants that proudly display a long list of locally sourced products on their menus. These simple acts of sustainability are ingrained in our culture.

The dairy industry might not immediately come to mind when talking about sustainability, but Roth Cheese, out of Monroe, is among a growing number of companies looking to change that.

Working toward more sustainable operations

Emily King is Roth Cheese’s first-ever sustainability manager, a role that was created last year to help advance the specialty cheesemaker’s sustainable operations. King has grown along with the company, starting out in the marketing department.

“We have goals around reducing water, waste and emissions, and we’re working toward achieving net-zero emissions,” says King. “Last year we decreased our water consumption per pound of cheese by 57%. This year we’re getting a baseline of our waste to inform our goal of zero waste to landfill by 2027.”

One popular byproduct of cheese production is whey, a liquid created during the cheesemaking process. The company sells its whey in one of many efforts to reduce waste.

As Roth Cheese’s popularity grows, the company is continually evaluating how to meet growing demand for its products in a sustainable way. For example, King has started to track Scope 3 emissions with help from a vendor that surveys the company’s suppliers and provides analytics to create a Scope 3 baseline.

“Scope 3 encompasses emissions not produced by the company and are not the result of activities from assets owned or controlled by us,” says King. “These emissions are those that we are indirectly responsible for, up and down our value chain. Such as when we buy, use and dispose of products from suppliers.”

Partnering to reduce food waste

In recent years, companies that are on a mission to reduce food waste and deliver products directly to customers’ doors have grown in number and popularity.

During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when flights were canceled at a historic pace, Roth Cheese was left with a surplus of cheese snack trays originally destined to serve to airline travelers.

In an effort to reduce waste and losses, the company partnered with Imperfect Foods—an online grocery delivery service with a mission to reduce food waste—to sell its unused inventory. Since then, the partnership has evolved and, like many other leading food companies, Roth Cheese sells items that are nearing expiration dates, product overruns and bulk cheese. Not long ago, these items could have been sent to the landfill.

“Companies like Imperfect Foods and Misfits Market help drive the conversation around sustainability forward,” says Roth Cheese sales manager Lars Bjorklund. “Partnering with companies that are committed to reducing food waste is one of many ways Roth Cheese is contributing to a more sustainable food ecosystem.”

A Madison native, Bjorklund serves on the sustainability steering team that is helping to shape Roth Cheese’s sustainable future. One challenge is balancing sustainability measures and consumer costs in a time of high inflation.

“We know customers are willing to pay more for specialty cheese, but what about things like 100-percent recyclable packaging and the costs associated with other sustainability initiatives?” Bjorklund says. “During this time of high inflation, consumer goods companies are mindful of costs passed on to consumers.”

“Companies like ours have opportunities to drive sustainable actions with the products we offer,” Bjorklund says. “We’re making changes because it’s simply the right thing to do and that’s what we do as a company.”