When was Land to Market first founded and what was the spark that brought it to life?
Land to Market, a program born out of the Savory Institute, was founded during March 2018 and officially launched at the Natural Products Expo West trade show in California. We had the insight that farmers and ranchers are doing all these good things to get positive outcomes for the land and they deserve to be rewarded for it. Land to Market works to match up producers of raw materials, like wool and leather, to the brands that want to do better by the planet.
What is your role within the company and what has been your career highlight so far with the team?
I joined Land to Market after leading sustainability initiatives with EILEEN FISHER and Ralph Lauren where our work to transform the entire fashion industry’s environmental footprint has been recognized in Women’s Wear Daily and The Business of Fashion. My role is to leverage my experience across the fashion, green building, and manufacturing sectors, to create and scale positive environmental impact through strategic supply chain development by connecting brands with regenerative growers.
Can you give us a brief overview of what Land to Market offers brands and how it is revolutionising regenerative business?
Land to Market is the world’s first outcomes-based verified regenerative sourcing solution and product labeling program. Brands come to us to source better-for-the-planet, verified regenerative raw materials, like wool, leather, meat and dairy. We connect brands that want to do better by the planet with farmers and ranchers who are healing land and helping make the planet healthier.
Why is story-telling so important to the work Land to Market do?
Ideally we could get everyone, including consumers, out on the land to show them first-hand what environmental health and land health mean and why things like soil health are so important. Since that’s not possible for everyone, storytelling is the next best thing to connect more people to the land upon which we all depend.
What is Regenerative Agriculture’s role in the protection of our planet and how does it compare to other sustainable supply practices?
Regenerative agriculture goes beyond sustainability and beyond “practices” to focus on better land management to garner positive outcomes for the land. Additionally, Land to Market works with producers (like producers of wool and leather) to continuously improve the health of their land.
How was your Ecological Outcome Verification™ (EOV™) programme developed and how is it different to other sustainable verification programmes?
Land to Market uses the Ecological Outcome Verification (EOV,) a scientific methodology that farmers and ranchers can use to measure regenerative outcomes on their land. EOV was developed by the Savory Institute in collaboration with Michigan State University, Texas A&M, Ovis 21, The Nature Conservancy, and an extensive network of regenerative land managers around the world.
