On July 24, the Pet Industry Sustainability Coalition (PISC) reached a pivotal moment in its history. With over 25 attendees and 40 members in total, the Coalition joined together to begin addressing industry wide sustainability issues, and to share the knowledge, resources, and costs of implementation. During the meeting, the Coalition presented their progress to date, which includes steady membership growth, a full-time executive director with a Harvard master’s degree in sustainability, a committed strategic advisory board, and the first release of its Web-based sustainability Toolkit back in May.  

With three tangible sustainability case studies in three months, the Coalition was able to provide practical examples of how to strategically implement sustainability to help save companies money, while meeting increasing sustainability demands from investors, advocacy groups, employees, consumers and retail. The meeting closed with a public signing of the Coalition’s Sustainability Pledge by Founding Members: “I and love and you”, “Only Natural Pet”, KONG, Cardinal Pet Care, Planet Dog, West Paw Designs, WorldWise and Petco.

You may have seen PISC in the newest issue of Dog Fancy magazine or from its ongoing coverage by Pet Age Magazine, Pet Business,Pet Product News and New Hope Natural Media. Between their media coverage, weekly e-newsletters that reach hundreds of pet companies,] and member advocates who are raving about the experience, SuperZoo was a major success.

The Coalition shouldn’t have any trouble meeting its goal of 25 new members by September—it was booked for appointments back-to-back with current members ready to roll up their sleeves and was making the rounds during show hours to reach new companies interested in leading the industry movement. “We feel that trade shows are the place to be in order to have face-to-face conversations about authentic improvement. At the Global Pet Expo the concept was very new, but now, executive leaders welcome us into their booths and are eager be at the forefront of an industry-wide issue,” said PISC Executive Director Caitlyn Bolton.  

The Coalition will be reporting next month on its new members, but from the looks of it, it is picking up steam and quickly becoming the buzz of the industry.