Environmental Management Herd Management

Marfrig Completes Carbon Emissions Inventory

GLOBAL - Brazilian meat processor Marfrig Group has just completed its first Scope 3 Global Greenhouse Gases (GHG) Emissions Inventory.

3 August 2012

2 minute read

The inventory includes all sources of emission not under the Company's direct control, such as the production of the grains used in feed, enteric emissions by ruminants and third party transportation of product to clients, among other sources.

"This is a pioneer initiative in the industry, and essential for the Company to understand the true carbon footprint of its products, allowing it to develop broader emission reduction strategies aiming to adapt all chains to a controlled emission economy," said Clever Avila, Marfrig's Director of Sustainability.

The range of products and supply chains, and the fact that it has manufacturing facilities located all around the globe were the greatest challenge for completing this inventory.

Marfrig Group is the most diversified food company in the industry.

Its portfolio of products includes beef, chicken, turkey, pork, lamb, fish and vegetable based products along with pastas and sweets and confectioneries, among others.

From grangers and confinement farms to feed plants and incubation units, from food to leather plants and even offices and distribution centers, the inventory combines information from 315 Marfrig sites in 22 countries in five continents.

One of the immediate conclusions is that some 95 per cent of the emissions are generated within Scope 3.

"This finding allows us to focus our efforts on building a joint GHG reduction effort with our suppliers, among them grain and animal farmers, energy and packaging suppliers and logistics operators," added Avila.

Marfrig Group has completed Scope 1 (direct emissions from own sources) and Scope 2 (indirect emissions from purchased power) GHG inventories since 2010, and defined a programme to reduce the intensity of its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 30 per cent by 2020. The Company has already reached about 50 per cent of this goal by improving its effluent treatment systems and replacing fossil fuels with renewable sources.

Marfrig Group's Inventory was prepared according to the requirements of ISO 14064-1:2007, and audited by SGS - Societe Generale de Surveillance, a global leader in process inspection, verification, testing and certification services.