Farmlands measures big cut to emissions

Three years into a carbon reduction programme, Farmlands has shaved another 7 percent off its emissions, dropping a further 1,006 tonnes of carbon (tCO2e) since 2020 and 3,127 since the base programme began in 2019.

With further emission reduction developments in the pipeline, Head of Sustainability and Land Use Katie Vickers is confident Farmlands will surpass the 30 percent by 2030 reduction target set out in the initial Toitū Envirocare carbonreduce certification in 2019.

The 7 percent drop can be partially attributed to lower travel levels due to COVID-19 and concentrated efforts to improve the efficiency of the supply chain and Farmlands’ vehicle fleet. Freight deliveries account for 55 percent of Farmlands’ emissions and 25.4 percent can be attributed to fleet fuel.The feedmill diesel boiler accounts for 5.9 percent, electricity for 5.2 percent and waste accumulated at 3.1 percent. While the total 18 percent drop from the first certification is significant, Farmlands is pushing for further reductions. Sustainable packaging guidelines and carbon-neutral shrink wrap are on the way. Assisting agrichemical recycling company Agrecovery in hosting sites for its new LDPE plastic bag programme will also provide support for shareholders in reducing plastic on-farm.

“Toitū offers a word-renowned certification and it holds us to account to measure, manage and report on our emissions,” Katie says.

“We have a serious responsibility as a business to do our part in lowering overall emissions in New Zealand and we want to be leading the way for our shareholders, customers and suppliers.”

Toitū’s carbonreduce certification is based on international standards. Toitū carbonzero and Toitū carbonreduce certification marks are recognised in over 60 countries, making it ideal for companies working in global supply chains or exporting products.

Toitū has supported Farmlands in accurately measuring the co-operative’s greenhouse gas emissions and has helped put in place strategies to manage and reduce impacts.

Compliance with the programme is independently verified annually to maintain certification.

Katie says the numbers over the last 2 years are a testament to the co-operative’s commitment to the
reduction targets.

“Based on our current figures, we are in the position where we can re-evaluate our targets and get tougher on what is deemed acceptable in our day-to-day practices when it comes to sustainability. “Our Farmlanders are committed to driving sustainable change and we have initiatives starting to kick off, from creating a single-use coffee cup free zone in our Christchurch Support Office to reviewing the packaging of our bags.” Farmlands remains committed to hitting emission reduction targets and to supporting shareholders and customers in achieving their own
sustainability goals along the way.