The U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Poultry & Eggs (US-RSPE) revealed details of its “framework,” the first-ever, multi-stakeholder sustainability reporting framework for U.S. supply chains for chicken, turkey and eggs from producer to final customer. This assessment will equip the entire value chain to better communicate with its stakeholders about the overall sustainability of U.S. poultry and create a clearer picture of how these products are produced.

 “We’ve built the one thing everyone needs, but nobody has yet,” said Ryan Bennett, executive director of US-RSPE. “With the US-RSPE Framework metrics, organizations will be able to provide transparent reporting on their sustainability and build plans to improve.” US-RSPE also announced the framework has moved from ideation, which began in early 2019, to practical application.

Three U.S. supply chain pilots (broilers, eggs and turkeys) have been completed with input from leading companies. UEP members Cal-Maine Foods, Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch and Kreher’s Family Farms tested the framework for egg production. Other pilot companies include Butterball, Cargill, Darling Ingredients, Iowa Turkey Federation, McDonald’s Corporation, Peco Foods, Sanderson Farms, Tyson Foods and West Liberty Foods. The pilot companies tested the framework’s metrics to ensure they were effective and implementable ahead of the anticipated full launch to the industry early next year.

In addition to providing individual reports to participants, the US-RSPE will report on the performance of the full supply chains. The framework includes sustainability measures across 13 priority areas, identified through a rigorous multi-year working group process with the entire supply chain represented, that are crucial to increasing trust with customers of U.S. chicken, turkey, and eggs.

UEP President Chad Gregory and several members are active participants on the framework committee, along with Dr. Mickey Rubin, the executive director of the Egg Nutrition Center. UEP is a founding member of this organization. Gregory encourages members to join US-RSPE and access valuable resources to improve their sustainability programs and communicate results to customers and stakeholders.