Vegan cheese production company Miyoko and other startups in the OSC² are calling on the government to improve on the sustainable food system after the COVID-19 pandemic is over.
One Step Closer to an Organic and Sustainable Community (OSC²) is a coalition of mission-driven natural products industry CEOs and business leaders. In January 2012 OSC² co-founders, Ahmed Rahim, Founder, and CEO of Numi Organic Tea and Lara Dickinson, natural products industry executive, discussed the need for a community of sustainable leaders who work together to have a positive effect on the natural products industry and on our environment. They observed that while there were many sustainably-minded trade organizations.
As a result they gathered a group of 7 prospective charter members together in July of 2012 at Lara’s home in Piedmont, CA. They then mapped out our mission and theory of change to become OSC², One Step Closer to an Organic and Sustainable Community.
They are calling on the government to build back a better economy with long-term climate solutions into post-COVID economic recovery plans.
The community of businesses is made up of 18 leading natural foods companies such as All Good, AlterEco, Annmarie Skin Care, Dr. Bronner’s, Gaia, Grove Collaborative, Lotus Foods, and Miyoko’s Creamery, which collectively make up a $250 billion industry.
OSC² members recently joined over 200 major companies at LEAD on Climate Day—the largest virtual education and advocacy day of climate action to stress to a bipartisan group of federal lawmakers the importance of longer-term sustainable solutions to strengthen the economy. Their goals include reaching a net-zero emissions economy by 2050 or sooner, and the need to keep Americans healthy at work and at home. “By joining our voices as one, we are able to harness the true power, passion, and commitment of our industry to ensure that the next round of post-COVID crisis economic stimulus packages focuses on generating clean energy solutions, infrastructure, and jobs,” Lara Dickinson, Executive Director and co-founder of OSC², said.
“This is an opportunity to build our country back better,” she continued. “With better ways of doing business, ensuring supply chain stability, and protecting the planet and its people.”
