Our Mission
Our mission is to be North America’s central forum and advocate for the sustainable use, recovery, and recycling of phosphorus in the food system.
Our Values
Objectivity
Our decisions and actions are based in the best available science.
Stewardship
We support the implementation of technologies and practices that benefit ecosystems and not ones that facilitate their deterioration.
Inclusivity
We seek buy-in from diverse stakeholders about best policies and practices.
The Problem
Our phosphorus demand increases as a burgeoning world population shifts its diets toward more phosphorus-intensive meat and dairy and as the energy and industrial sectors consume more biomass. However, the world’s remaining phosphate rock reserves increasingly contain contaminants and are non-renewable, finite, and concentrated in a small number of countries, posing geopolitical vulnerability. Meanwhile, intensified phosphorus use has degraded water quality in rivers, lakes, and coastal oceans as toxic algal blooms proliferate and dead zones expand. Despite these mounting challenges, only a small fraction of the phosphorus we use globally in food production comes from sustainably recycled sources.
Our Opportunity
The Alliance is a nonprofit that brings together public- and private-sector organizations from across the phosphorus value chain to make our phosphorus use more sustainable.
We offer a venue where these organizations can share experiences, network, and develop and implement solutions to phosphorus sustainability challenges.
Source: Cordell, D.; White, S. Sustainable Phosphorus Measures: Strategies and Technologies for Achieving Phosphorus Security. Agronomy 2013, 3, 86-116
