ESG in Food and Beverages: How to Choose the Right Framework in 2025

To future-proof your food and beverage company, embracing ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) is no longer optional — it’s essential. The landscape of ESG in food and beverages is evolving rapidly, with a growing number of standards and reporting frameworks designed to help stakeholders — from investors and retailers to banks, insurers, and increasingly aware consumers — compare ESG performance across companies.

In the food and beverage sector, ESG reporting is becoming a critical requirement. In some jurisdictions, disclosure is already mandated for large organizations, and it’s fast becoming a prerequisite for securing capital, insurance, and market trust. Ignoring ESG can put your business at a competitive disadvantage — or even limit your ability to operate in certain markets.

But with so many ESG frameworks available, how do you choose the right one for your business?

To help food and beverage companies navigate this complexity, we’ve outlined four major ESG frameworks relevant to the sector. We explain who is using each framework, what makes them unique, and when each should be considered based on your company’s goals, stakeholders, and regulatory environment.