ABOUT US

Why Sustainable?

Market research* has identified that 70 percent of North American consumers are making product decisions and wanting to know where their foods come from and how they are made. The opportunity for marketers lies in appealing to this mainstream audience through improved products and authentic communication, understanding how sustainability relates to your brand, and the environmental and social impact of your products, packaging, supply chain, and operations. Sustainable Innovations™ helps companies address sustainability with their products, supply chains, employees and stakeholders by designing business strategies and communication programs for long term competitive advantage.

*Source: Five Years Later & Into The Future, Spring 2006, The Hartman Group

Why Innovative?

Innovation makes our lives better by doing existing jobs better or by discovering unmet needs of consumers and offering convenience and value, and more sustainable ways to accomplish their task. Companies can innovate in their supply chains to reduce waste, increase efficiency, cut costs, and delight customers at the same time. A sustainable innovative organization is a learning organization that fosters the constant creativity vital for future successes.

About Our Products

A sustainable innovative product brings benefits in health and nutrition while at the same time reducting waste and costs. Sustainably innovative products are made with significant reductions in energy, chemical, water, packaging, and transport and will be reflected across the entire product lifecycle, operations, environmental and social goals of the organization. These improvements can be achieved without compromising product performance or value for the sake of a greener more or sustainable product. Consumers want products that taste great, offer health and wellness, offer good value and are more sustainable. The trick with sustainable innovation is how to actually meet all four of those at the same time!

General Operating Principals

1. Develop business enterprises, practices and systems that complement with the natural environment and resource systems.
2. Build, protect and sustain agricultural, processing and distributions systems that "assure safe, high quality products and environmental responsibility (from farm to fork) throughout the life cycles of the processes and products".
3. Maximize use of recycling, upcycling, renewable resources in our day to day operations.
4. Minimize the use of non-renewable resources and reduce our "carbon footprint" through use of communication technologies and offset programs.
5. Ensure fair and ethical employment standards for Sustainable Innovations™ and our business partners.
6. Protect and enhance the environment with particular regard to the conservation of its wildlife and careful attention to the impact of the farming system on the wider environment.
7. Create a legacy for the future of our children and their children ensuring a better quality of life and vibrant sustainable economy for future generations.

How We Work

• Retainer based for research, project definition / management, development and launch
• Success Fee based
  • Share of savings or commission on volume
• Source Project Manager dedicated to project
  • Regular monthly or bi-weekly reports
  • Satisfaction survey between stages (development, post launch)
  • On-line consumer testing for key decisions (brand name/ assortment)
  • Access to "Experts in their fields"
• Confidential basis with clients
• Report to Project Team Leader and/or Executive Sponsor

About the Founder

Graham P. Mitchell is President of Sustainable Innovations Inc.™

Since 1999, Graham has worked with farms and manufacturers to expand local sourcing, convert to sustainable and organic manufacturing practices, and develop new brands and distribution to reach growing health and wellness channels.

Graham Mitchell represented UTZ CERTIFIED Good Inside from 2006 to 2011 in the US/Canadian market and left to work on more collaborative food systems and approaches.

Graham lead Ahold's Global Innovation Team, responsible for development and launch of "Simply Enjoy" gourmet, "Nature's Promise" organic and natural products in the U.S., and ready-meal initiatives in Europe.

"I grew up spending summers on my family’s farm in Grand Falls, New Brunswick, fishing, riding bikes and raiding the vegetable garden," says Graham. "I remember the strong attachment to the land, and the stories of farmers like the McCains who grew special varieties of long potatoes for fries and fast food accounts. These hybrid potatoes grew quickly, were easier to harvest due to size, and had less waste in the processing. These stories left an indelible impression on me; that for business to grow and thrive it must innovate and deliver value in the supply chain."

Graham earned his undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Western Ontario and his MBA from the J.L Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.