FrieslandCampina and Mondelēz International partner to reduce GHG emissions in milk production
Dairy product and ingredient manufacturer FrieslandCampina and food giant Mondelēz International have signed a four-year agreement to work towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions in milk production.
The new collaboration looks to bring down the level of GHGs coming from FrieslandCampina’s member dairy farmers by approximately 14% by 2025 in comparison to 2019.
Sanne Griffioen-Roose, Director of Farm Sustainability at FrieslandCampina, said in a statement: “Together with our member dairy farmers, we are working towards producing net climate-neutral dairy by 2050 at the latest. FrieslandCampina’s approach is to measure, act and monitor. We are excited to partner with Mondelēz International, because by collaborating with them we can reward our farmers for their hard work and realised greenhouse gas reductions while also investing in programmes to continuously improve sustainability at the farms.”
Mondelēz uses the company’s milk as an ingredient in many of its European chocolate, biscuit, and spread brands, such as Milka, Cadbury Dairy Milk, and Philadelphia.
Vanessa Harrer, Senior Director of Marketing and Sustainability at Mondelēz Europe, added: “We are proud to invest in a strong partnership in Europe to work closely with our dairy supplier FrieslandCampina, encouraging and supporting their initiatives to measure greenhouse gas reductions and take action to reduce, track and report carbon emissions.”
Both companies have said they hope the partnership will inspire other major food businesses to follow suit and share their best practices.
Some ways in which FrieslandCampina is advising dairy farmers to reduce their emissions include minimising waste in the feed cycle, limiting soil tillage, and using local protein sources for feed. They are also being asked to start producing their own renewable energy, which the dairy company says it already uses on its production sites.
Around 10,000 of FrieslandCampina dairy farmers also currently use an Annual Nutrient Cycling Assessment tool to track developments regarding carbon footprint size and biodiversity indicators on their farms. The farmers are eligible to receive financial premiums through the organisation’s Foqus planet sustainability programme, to encourage the adoption of more environmentally friendly dairy farming practices. They get financial bonuses according to the results achieved in relation to four themes: climate, biodiversity, animal health and welfare, and outdoor grazing. The bonuses are funded by both FrieslandCampina and a cooperative scheme.
Mondelēz International will be attending the Food Matters Live Sustainable Food Forum event, taking place on 19-20 September 2023 at 30 Euston Square, London.
