b'RETAIL STRATEGYHOW TO TURN SUSTAINABILITY FROM A COST CENTRE TO A COMPETITIVE EDGEFour experts explain how retailers can use certification, traceability, genetics, and simple, aligned frameworks like the Farm Sustainability Assessment to strengthen customer relationships, reduce duplication and open new markets.By Marc ZienkiewiczRETAILERS HEAR THE word sustainability and often brace them- THE DISCUSSIONselves: another audit, another acronym, another checklist.But what if, instead of treating sustainability as a cost ofEveryone uses the word sustainability, but what doing business, you treated it as a strategya way to securedoes it actually mean on the ground?market access, manage risk and protect margins?That was the premise behind a recent panel discussion at theSeed World Canada (SWC): Mike, you admitted going into this Interprovincial Seed Growers Association meeting in Ottawa,discussion you were something of a sustainability skeptic. Ont., with four people who live and breathe this topic across theWhy?value chain: certification, seed production, exports, policy andMike Scheffel (MS): There are so many definitions, you government relations. We asked a practical question: how cancould probably find twenty-plus, depending on the context. retailers harness sustainability as a tool to grow their businesses? Its become a squishy word. But once I got past the buzzword and dug into the ideas, I came around. For me, sustainability THE PANEL is really about continuous improvement in productivity and resilience: Using the same or fewer inputs to produce more. SWC: Roy, youve been deep in sustainability programs and audits for years. Where do you think the confusion comes from?Roy van Wyk (RVW): Early sustainability schemes such as the Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS) were built to address major issues European buyers saw in South American soydeforestation, labour abuse, and poor farming practices. However, the RTRS framework proved more rigorous than Roy van Wyk, Client ServicesMike Scheffel, Managingwhat was needed for the North American context. Today, the Director, Seeds Canada Director, Policy and Standards,view is shifting: true sustainability must include economic Canadian Seed Growersviability, and thats what retailers should prioritize.AssociationSWC: Tim, from the grower and exporter side, how does this definitional mess show up?Tim Montague (TM): My view is: if the word is fuzzy, define it yourself. As an industryor as a companyyoure better off saying, Heres what sustainability means in our business, and then telling that story clearly to customers, instead of letting them invent it for you. Thats where retailers come in. Your customers are looking for guidance. If you dont define the story, someone else will.Tim Montague, ProcurementNick Stratford, Policy andSWC: Nick, you literally wrote the Guide to Sustainable Seed Manager, Huron Commodities Government Relationsfor Seeds Canada. How did your work shape a definition?Coordinator, Seeds Canada Nick Stratford (NS): When we started, even our own members struggled to define sustainability. So, we went back to basics 34 SEEDWORLD.COM/CANADA JANUARY 2026'