How green is your breakfast? The sausages on the breakfast plate or your layers chips which one snacks later along with the Perrier?
As per Bloomberg news, PepsiCo Inc, Nestle SA, and some of the local brands are among 27 companies supporting a project that calculates how much impact is on the environment from the end-to-end process of Farm to Store. The products will be color-coded labels. This is an attempt to assess the supply chain and work on a one-size-fits-all solution.
The food industry is responsible for nearly 35% of the CO2 Emissions, and the global economy looks for ways to stop itself from frying. As the investors scrutinize the environmental governments’ push for net-zero emission before the COP26 climate summit, manufacturers are looking to reduce their carbon footprints.
Cliona Howie. CEO of a London-based non-profit organization Foundation Earth, who is leading the project, says they are looking to transform the food industry.
According to the World Bank, making the supply chain green and productive, around $350 billion per annum will be required for the next decade.
Today’s major cause of emissions is the methane exhaled by pigs and cows, gases released by rotting rice paddies, and the chemicals in fertilizers. A study published by Journal nature says animal-based products are responsible for 57 % of greenhouse gas emissions. Also, the energy that is used for processing packing, and transporting animal-based products.
Carbon footprint from cheese Sandwich
Emissions from food products can be caused by its ingredients, the plastic packing, and transport, which uses oil. For example, a ready-to-eat cheese sandwich is responsible for nearly 953 grams of CO2 equivalent. This estimate is based on a study by London-based Mundra Global Ltd, associated with foundation Earth. Using a U.S. environmental Protection agency calculator, this is equivalent to 2.5 miles of driving a car.
Independent companies like Finnebrogue Artisan label about two dozen items in U.K. stores with scores ranging from A to G. This company has assessed more than 100 products.
According to Jago Pearson, CEO of Downpatrick, a sausage maker in Northern Ireland said “The labeling will give information about the product and allow us to scrutinize the suppliers and work with to improve the chain’, he said.
Major Polluters
More than any other proteins, meat is known to produce maximum greenhouse gases.
Lays, which PepsiCo owns, is looking at ways to swap fertilizer used to grow potatoes with recycled peelings from mulch. This will reduce emissions equivalent to carbon by nearly 70%, as per Archana Jagannathan, a Senior Director, sustainability with PepsiCo Europe.
“We are looking at the alternative for transforming end-to-end process,” Jagannathan said. “Consumers are conscious and expect companies to do right things.”
The world’s largest food company, Nestle and owner of Perrier, is committed to making their business green by 2025 by spending $3.6 billion.
As per Nestle’s global head of sustainable sourcing and climate delivery, Benjamin Ware, the non-profit Foundation Earth project is one option that can help achieve this ambition.
