Danish Crown A/S

06/09/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/09/2021 04:53

Danish Crown is even more committed to climate goals

Danish Crown's goals in the climate area are simple and clear: We must reduce CO2e in our meat production by 50 per cent by 2030. By 2050, we must be able to produce completely climate neutral.

Where Danish Crown's focus on reducing the climate footprint so far has been on farms, factories and on our logistics, the group is now changing gears and becoming even more ambitious.

This is done through a goal setting process through the organization called the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

SBTi is a partnership between the United Nations Global Compact, the World Resources Institute (WRI), the CDP and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and CDP which helps design a clear path for companies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to such an extent, that it contributes enough to keep the global temperature rise to at a maximum of 1.5 degrees, which is the goal science is pointing to in order to avoid major climate disasters.

Therefore, Danish Crown must start mapping greenhouse gas emissions from all activities, both directly and indirectly related emissions from what we do in the group. It applies to the feed our producers buy, it applies to a business trip, it applies to business phones, it applies to everything.

- We have defined a target of being a leader in climate reporting within our sector. We have decided to sign the Science-Based Targets Initiative, where we undertake to report on emissions from all parts of our operations. This means from the time the grain is planted and the animal is born and all the way to the end-product in the supermarket coolers. Later this year, we will be presenting detailed life-cycle analyses (LCA) for our Danish production, and we will be using these figures to define our binding targets, says Preben Sunke, COO of Danish Crown with responsibility for, among other things, the group's work with sustainability.

Although the Science Based Targets initiative is primarily about reducing CO2 emissions, it is these steps that help to ensure Danish Crown's entitlement to run a food business in the future. And that brings more positive things.

- We must also in the future be able to produce quality food for the whole world, so that we can contribute to the economy, create 'good jobs for everyone' and at the same time be a partner for the climate. Therefore, joining the Science Based Targets initiative is a step in the right direction for Danish Crown, says Preben Sunke.

In practice, it is only when SBTi has approved Danish Crown's endorsement that a detailed plan for achieving our goals is drawn up. Fortunately, we have made a solid preparation which means that we already know the main lines of the upcoming work.