NETHERLANDS – FrieslandCampina, a Dutch multinational dairy cooperative has entered into a four-year agreement with American multinational confectionery company, Mondelēz International, to lower the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the milk supplied by FrieslandCampina’s member dairy farmers.
According to Sanne Griffioen-Roose, director of Farm Sustainability at FrieslandCampina, the partnership aims to achieve carbon emissions reduction in the dairy supply chain by approximately 14% by 2025.
“We are excited to partner with Mondelēz International because by collaborating with them, we can reward our farmers for their hard work and realize greenhouse gas reductions while also investing in programmes to continuously improve sustainability at the farms,” she said.
“Together with our member dairy farmers, we are working towards producing net climate-neutral dairy by 2050 at the latest.”
Vanessa Harrer, senior director of marketing and sustainability at Mondelēz Europe, added that Dairy ingredients are important components for its well-known chocolate, biscuit, and cheese brands, such as Milka, Cadbury Dairy Milk, and Philadelphia, and play a role in sustainability strategy, which was recently named the company’s fourth strategic pillar.
“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,” she announced.
Both companies believe that partnerships are important to make progress and further accelerate carbon reduction.
According to FrieslandCampina, dairy farmers can take a number of measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on their farms and combat climate change.
“Implementing good agricultural practices, such as minimizing waste in the feed cycle, minimizing tillage of the soil, and using local protein sources are all potential strategies for reducing emissions,” the company stated.
“FrieslandCampina’s member dairy farmers can also generate their own renewable energy, which is subsequently used on the FrieslandCampina’s production sites.”
FrieslandCampina uses the Annual Nutrient Cycling Assessment to track progress resulting from sustainable farming practices.
This monitoring tool is used by almost 10,000 FrieslandCampina member dairy farms and gives farm-specific insights, such as the size of the carbon footprint and biodiversity indicators.
Under the Foqus Planet Sustainable development programme, member dairy farmers receive financial premiums based on their results on climate, biodiversity, pasture grazing, animal health and animal welfare.
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