BOULDER, Colo. — The Pet Sustainability Coalition (PSC) announced July 8 it will work with the World Pet Association (WPA) to integrate educational opportunities, initiatives and programs supporting industry-wide sustainability into SuperZoo 2019.

These sustainable initiatives include an education session geared toward point-of-sale companies, “Critical Sustainability Strategies for Retailers.” The session will outline changing consumer demand, willingness among pet owners to pay extra for environmentally friendly products, building rapport among those customers and reducing bottom line costs.

The retailer education session will take place Wednesday, Aug. 21 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.

PSC and WPA will also provide a tour of Mandalay Bay’s behind-the-scenes waste sorting and solar energy production facility, which is the largest in the western hemisphere, according to PSC. Admission for the tour is free, but there are only 50 spots available.

The tour will take place Wednesday, Aug. 21 at 1 p.m.

As part of PSC’s Positive Impact Program launched on April 4, SuperZoo 2019 will showcase environmentally and socially conscious pet products that have been verified using the coalition’s third-party sustainability assessment. The Positive Impact Product Kiosk, booth #5000, will give participating brands an exclusive platform on the show floor and provide retailers with discounts on those brands.

Reusable, plant-based water bottles from Pet Sustainability Coalition for SuperZoo 2019The kiosk will be indicated on the official trade show floor map and mobile app.

Lastly, PSC and WPA will provide more than 2,000 reusable, plant-based water bottles to SuperZoo attendees, as well as water refill stations at show floor lounge locations. This is to help reduce plastic waste, which amounts to over 60 million water bottles daily in the US, according to the Container Recycling Institute.

During SuperZoo 2018, PSC and WPA interviewed 250 pet industry professionals about their outlooks, opinions and predictions about the sustainability of the modern pet food market and developed a joint industry report based on their responses. Read highlights from the report, “Trends in Sustainability,” or download the full version.

Keep up with the latest pet food trends on our Trends page.