Think Globally, Formulate Regionally: The Sustainable Future of Pet Nutrition

In the pet food sector, this transformation is also underway. However, unlike what occurs in some segments of food for human consumption, the demand for more sustainable practices is still driven mainly by the production chain itself. Major pet food manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, and multinational companies are looking for ways to measure and reduce environmental impacts, anticipating regulatory requirements and meeting increasingly rigorous corporate commitments.

In this context, the carbon footprint has become one of the most used metrics for assessing the sustainability of production systems. Although its importance is undeniable, limiting the discussion to a single metric can lead to simplistic conclusions about a topic that is, by nature, multidimensional.

Experience in animal production shows that the most sustainable systems are those that use resources more efficiently. Producing more with less, reducing losses, and maximizing the use of available inputs are strategies that often generate economic and environmental benefits simultaneously.

Applying this concept to pet nutrition, the most important question may not be which ingredients have the lowest carbon footprint, but rather how to formulate foods that deliver greater nutritional value, quality, and efficiency while making the best use of the available resources.

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The Limits of One-Size-Fits-All Solutions

The pet market is increasingly globalized. New ingredients, technologies, and concepts emerge in different regions of the world and quickly become part of technical discussions in several countries.

This movement is positive and drives innovation. However, it also comes with a risk: assuming that a solution developed for a given reality will automatically be sustainable in any context.

Technology that generates excellent regional results may not have the same benefits when applied in markets with different production, logistical, and economic conditions. Likewise, ingredients considered a trend in certain countries may not represent the most efficient alternative for all production chains.

Thinking globally means keeping up with advances in science, understanding international trends, and knowing the tools available. Formulating regionally means applying that knowledge strategically, considering each operation's reality, raw material availability, logistics structure, industrial capacity, and nutritional objectives of each product.

Formulation Efficiency as an Indicator of Sustainability
For many years, sustainability was primarily associated with the origin of ingredients. Today, a broader perspective shows that formulation efficiency can be an equally relevant indicator.

A sustainable diet is not only one composed of ingredients with the lowest theoretical environmental impact—it is the one that efficiently transforms resources into nutrition. The contribution to the system tends to be greater when food has more nutritional value per unit of resources consumed.

From this perspective, nutritional quality and sustainability are no longer independent concepts and start to go hand in hand.

The Strategic Role of Ingredients

Sustainability often leads to discussions about the use of local versus imported ingredients.  In practice, however, the issue is more complex.

The geographical origin of raw material is just one of the factors involved in assessing its contribution to sustainability.

Locally produced ingredients can reduce logistical steps and strengthen regional supply chains. On the other hand, ingredients developed in other regions can offer significant gains in performance, nutritional efficiency, or quality, offsetting impacts associated with transportation.

The key issue is not necessarily where the ingredient is produced but the value that it delivers to the system.

A sustainable formulation is built through the careful evaluation of the technical cost-benefit of each ingredient, considering its effective contribution to the final quality, its availability, consistency, and its impact on the overall efficiency of the diet.

Additives: From Trend to Result
The same logic applies to nutritional and technological additives.

The market frequently follows global trends that drive the adoption of certain ingredients or solutions. In many cases, these technologies have real benefits and represent important advances for the industry.

However, sustainability should not be confused with simply following industry trends. The strategic use of additives must be based on measurable results.

Additives that increase digestibility, improve oxidative stability, reduce losses during processing, extend product shelf life, or allow better use of available ingredients can directly contribute to the system's efficiency.

In this scenario, the most sustainable additive is not necessarily the newest, the most popular, or the one with the greatest marketing appeal. It is the one capable of generating real efficiency gains for formulation and the production process. Sustainability built on concrete results tends to be more lasting than that based only on market trends.

Lessons from the Latin American Pet Food Industry

The history of the pet industry in Latin America itself offers important examples of this logic.

Several companies that today occupy a prominent position in the market originated from established production chains linked to grain processing, animal protein rendering, agro-industrial cooperatives, or food industries.

By identifying opportunities to value available resources, these companies transformed previously underutilized surpluses, by-products, and raw materials into high-value-added ingredients for dog and cat food.

This movement has not only contributed to the expansion of the pet sector but has also created concrete examples of the circular economy applied to industrial practice.

More than a cost reduction strategy, the intelligent use of resources has demonstrated that innovation and sustainability can go hand in hand when there is technical knowledge and long-term vision.

The Future Will Be Driven by Technical Expertise

The pressure for environmental metrics will continue to grow in the coming years. Indicators related to carbon footprint, water consumption, energy efficiency, and traceability should be prioritized in corporate and regulatory decisions.

For formulators, nutritionists, and professionals in the pet industry, the main challenge will remain the same: to develop foods that provide greater value by using available resources as efficiently as possible.

In this scenario, sustainability will no longer be just a characteristic related to certain ingredients. It will become the result of the quality of technical decisions made throughout the chain.

Thinking globally will remain the key to being up to date with the evolution of science and technology. Formulating regionally will be essential to turn this knowledge into viable, efficient solutions aligned with the reality of each market.

By Ludmila Bomcompagni – All Pet Food
Source: All Pet Food Magazine