Arla launches climate roadmap

Arla is the first UK dairy cooperative, and one of only 59 food and beverage processors globally, to meet this standard. Arla aims to reach carbon net zero across its entire business by 2050. 

The new climate roadmap details how Arla will deliver against its 2030 climate targets by taking action to reduce emissions across its entire value chain, encompassing its farms, production sites and logistics.

Arla said that its scope 1 and 2 emissions reduction target is consistent with changes needed to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees. Scope 1 covers Green House Gas (GHG) Emissions that a company makes directly while scope 2 covers indirect emissions such as energy. 

Among the first

It said that these are among the first dairy industry climate targets to be verified by the SBTi and require the cooperative to reduce scope one and two emissions by 63%, against a 2015 baseline. 

Arla added that it also plans to to reduce scope three emissions, which cover GHGs that an organisation is indirectly responsible for up and down its supply chain, by 30% per kg of milk and whey by the same date, also against a 2015 baseline. 

“Dairy has a defining decade ahead. The demand for dairy is growing around the world and we have a growing population to feed. But we must face into the challenges of reducing emissions to create a healthy planet alongside healthy people. Achieving approval for our scope 1 & 2 emissions from the SBTi is a key milestone on our way to ensuring we tackle the issues around food production and being one of the first dairy companies globally to get this approval highlights our commitment to sustainable food,” ​said Ben Wood, senior sustainability manager for Arla UK. 

“Milk is among the most nutritious, natural and accessible products on the shelves today, and our climate roadmap is another step on our long-term journey to producing it in the best possible way for the planet.”​

Emissions

Arla’s emissions come from five key areas: farming, which accounts for 83% of emissions; production (4%); packaging (2%); logistics and transport (2%); and other areas (9%), such as the purchase of whey by the global Arla Foods business. 

During the last seven years alone, Arla UK has reduced emissions by 14% on farm (per kg of raw milk), by 24% across production, by 25% in transport and logistics, and by 18% in the packaging process.

Arla said it will now accelerate activity across a range of areas such as production by switching to 100% renewable electricity across production sites by 2025.  In transport and logistics it will use alternative fuels, such as biogas (some of which is generated from slurry), which will contribute 86% of the emissions reductions that we need to make in transport and logistics by 2030

To meet the challenges of scope three and to achieve a 30% reduction in emissions by 2030 Arla said it would include helping farmers adapt, optimise farm resource use, utilise renewable electricity sources and use green fertilisers.