UNFI’s Climate Summit Advances Industry Collaboration

October 3, 2025           2 minute read

As part of Climate Week NYC, UNFI convened experts from across our customer and supplier network to explore how shared sustainability goals can drive common business goals – including supply chain resilience, operational efficiency, brand differentiation, and consumer loyalty. The summit, held in partnership with Regen House, focused on advancing climate solutions through collaboration across the food industry.  

During the summit, UNFI partners including New Seasons Market, Oatly, Simple Mills, Mars, and Organic Valley shared examples of how their climate goals impact everything from procurement to product design, in-store merchandising to sales promotions – and more. Their leadership insight spurred productive breakout discussions on using climate data to drive innovation, embedding climate initiatives into operations, and advancing shared goals through UNFI’s Climate Action Partnership.

“Collaboration allows us to make a far greater impact than working in silos. Having attended a few UNFI Climate Summits, I've been deeply impressed by the work of other brands and commend UNFI for bringing us together to build stronger connections and take collective action,” said Athena Petty, Senior Manager of Sustainability at New Seasons Market.

Attendees also heard from keynote speakers Sonya Gafsi Oblisk, Chief Merchandising & Marketing Officer at Whole Foods Market, and Jay Watson, Senior Director of Sustainability at General Mills, who highlighted the importance of industry-wide collaboration. 

“None of us can go at this alone . . . It's around having a common goal and finding ways that we can support one another to making sustainable food and a sustainable food system a good business decision and a profitable business for everyone involved...”
-Sonya Gafsi Oblisk at UNFI’s Climate Summit

Thank you to UNFI’s participating customer and supplier partners for providing valuable insights, embracing collaboration, and contributing to a shared vision for climate action. Together, we are driving sustainable growth and creating meaningful change in our food system.

Learn more about how UNFI is reducing its environmental footprint through a focus on efficient and sustainable operations at https://www.unfi.com/impact.html.