Ben Gruitt
Ben is an expert in the field of sustainable food and agriculture, focusing on supply chains, renewable bio-products, and monetizing waste streams.
Background
Speaker, board room advocate, and consultant in the field of sustainable food and agriculture delivering actionable strategies. Ben’s work focuses on advancing sustainable and regenerative agriculture, identifying market opportunities in the food and agriculture supply chain, building renewable bioproduct markets, monetizing waste streams, and developing a circular bioeconomy at the state, federal, and international levels.
Ben served as Director of Sustainability and Advanced Bioproducts at the Corn Refiners Association (CRA) in Washington, D.C. where he worked to advance climate change policy within the U.S. corn refining industry. There he founded the Plant Based Products Council to further advancements in renewable materials, conducted the corn refining industry’s first comprehensive life cycle analysis, and successfully led efforts to enhance incentives for the bioproduct industry within the Farm Bill Energy Title.
He served as CRA’s lead delegate to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties.
Expertise
Organizational Readiness
Opportunity Generation
Plant-based Materials
Agricultural Sector
Perspectives
The Desperate Need for a New Economic Model, LinkedIn, February 2016
Why We Should All Push to Remove ‘Sustainability’ From Our Business Vocabulary, LinkedIn, February 2016
Lighting the Future: The Sustainable Choice Saves More Than Energy, LinkedIn, December 2015
Mitigating Drought Impact through Rainwater Harvesting, LinkedIn, July 2015
Memberships and Appointments
Circular Economy Industry Associations
Sustainability Leadership Forum (SLF)
Business Council for Sustainable Energy’s (BCSE) International Policy Committee
The International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP)
Degrees
Johns Hopkins University, MBA in Finance
James Madison University, BA in Psychology