Sustainability used to be the initiative that looked good in an annual report. Now it’s showing up in purchasing decisions, investor conversations, and regulatory pipelines. Processors that treat it as just a compliance exercise are leaving margin on the table.
The manufacturers seeing returns have found where sustainability and profitability intersect, and they’re rethinking energy use, water stewardship, sanitation systems, and packaging before external pressure forces the issue.
Leigh Ann Johnston, Sustainable Business Development at JBT Marel, works directly with processors navigating these decisions. We asked her where the real ROI is, what’s being underestimated, and how to make sustainability reporting credible rather than just compliant.
Q. In 2026, what sustainability trends are most directly influencing profitable sustainability decisions in F&B?
Leigh Ann Johnston: In our discussions with processors, four trends shape sustainability-related investment decisions: transparency, packaging innovation, energy efficiency, and water stewardship. These are increasingly viewed as business critical rather than “nice to have.”
Many processors and customers are tying purchasing decisions more closely to demonstrable progress, particularly around eco-friendly packaging, efficient use of energy and water, and decarbonization efforts. In many cases, initiatives that reduce waste, utilities, and operational inefficiencies are prioritized because they can lower production costs while delivering measurable sustainability improvements, depending on application and operating conditions.
Q. How are technologies like real-time monitoring, automation, and Industry 4.0 capabilities changing the way plants manage energy, water, sanitation, and safety without creating data overload?
LAJ: One message we hear from processors is simple: you can’t manage what you can’t see.
When thoughtfully implemented, real-time monitoring enabled by modern automation and Industry 4.0 capabilities provides immediate visibility into how equipment is performing and supports a shift from retrospective sustainability reporting to proactive, timely decision-making.
Today’s connected systems allow manufacturers to monitor utility usage, product loss, labor inefficiencies, sanitation performance, and other key indicators to inform both immediate actions and longer-term improvements. To avoid data overload, newer technologies increasingly deliver customizable insights to decision makers’ mobile devices.
Q. What equipment design or upgrade decisions most improve both sustainability and food safety/sanitation outcomes? And where do companies underestimate the impact?
LAJ: Sanitation systems are often underestimated as a sustainability lever, despite being among the most resource-intensive areas in a processing plant. Clean In Place (CIP) systems are a prime example. Effective CIP is essential for food safety because it cleans product contact surfaces to help prevent contamination, but it can also consume significant amounts of water, energy, and chemicals. Upgrading to smarter, more efficient CIP systems can help reduce resource use while improving sanitation consistency and compliance. These systems also introduce a greater level of operational automation, which can help minimize variability and reduce the chance of manual errors that sometimes contribute to contamination risks.
Similarly, investments in processing technologies like High Pressure Processing (HPP) systems can support both sustainability and food safety. Internal assessments show that HPP can offer approximately 20% lower global warming potential than certain traditional thermal processing methods while inactivating harmful foodborne pathogens like E. coli and Listeria.
Q. For innovation teams scaling new products or processes, where do you see the best sustainability ROI: novel processing, cleaning/maintenance optimization, or material/packaging shifts and why?
LAJ: There is no universal solution; the best sustainability ROI depends on where a processor starts. The most effective sustainability strategies begin with a clear assessment of current operations, identifying where realistic, meaningful improvements can be made. For some processors, the biggest gains may come from optimizing cleaning and maintenance. For others, the gains are from novel processing technologies or material and packaging shifts.
Innovation teams that succeed typically take a dual-lens approach: looking internally at where resources are being consumed or wasted, and externally at what customers and end markets value most, whether that is recyclable packaging, lower-carbon processing, or minimally processed products. Aligning sustainability investments with both operational realities and customer priorities helps ensure initiatives deliver tangible results and support long-term growth.
Q. How are sustainability expectations (from customers, retailers, investors, and regulators) changing the bar for transparency? And what’s the most practical path to credible reporting?
LAJ: Expectations for transparency have risen in the past few years as consumers become more informed about what they eat and drink and how it is produced. Today’s stakeholders (consumers, retailers, investors, and increasingly, regulators) expect more than broad commitments. They expect evidence in the form of clear data, consistent metrics, and credible progress over time. One recent report found that nearly 70% of U.S. consumers agree that brand owners should be held responsible for sustainability efforts, like sustainable packaging, which underscores the pressure on processors to demonstrate credibility.
The most practical path to reliable reporting starts with operational data integrity. By leveraging existing equipment data, standardizing KPI’s, and embedding measurement into daily operations, processors can streamline reporting and improve accuracy. Ultimately, this helps turn transparency into a competitive differentiator rather than just a compliance exercise.
