New Zealand milk was confirmed by a recent report commissioned by Dairy NZ that had the lowest carbon footprint in the world (0.77 units), some 48% less than the average survey results (1.47 units), a the industry is proud of it, but ‘not surprising’Aig.
“In my opinion, this is entirely to be expected – New Zealand milk has the benefit of being based on a grass-fed and outdoor environment model, which naturally contributes to a reduction. carbon footprint, and it has been a cornerstone of our economy for so long that much effort has been put into increasing efficiency over the years, ” Local dairy company Miraka General Environmental Leadership Manager Murray Hemi said FoodNavigator-Asia.
“So the natural environment and the long history of the industry has given us a real edge, but this also means that this achievement is no reason for us to sit on our laurels and be complacent just because we measured in the first place – the opposite, of course. it should be seen as a reminder to work hard to maintain that welfare position.
“Most importantly, this achievement is important to us as a reminder to be conscientious and not to forget the picture of the world – sustainability is not a competition, it is something that humanity needs. to cross the finish line together, as there is no need to be first if the world falls.
“So against the self-interest of the industry, this achievement now places us in a position of responsibility to support greater change in the global dairy industry and that means leading the way. and offers a way to do this together, as well as just relying on dairy-grass or custom benefits. “
Dairy NZ agreed with this, saying there is still more hard work ahead of the industry if it is to increase efficiency.
“Because we are already so efficient, there is no longer a silver bullet to efficiency – a major investment in research and development is needed to find solutions,”NZ Dairy CEO Tim Mackle said.
“[The] the department is committed and research has begun [but we still need] government support as we embrace new knowledge, practices and technology.
“[That said, we are] committed to remaining the world’s most efficient producer of low-release milk – Our focus as a sector is sustaining our success as consumers and communities increasingly seek manufactured food stable. ”
Business donations
Most dairy companies in New Zealand have established sustainability strategies to reduce environmental impact, each contributing its own approach to the report’s findings. Several have also marketed products based on sustainability tags – one of which is local milk giant Fonterra with the country ‘s first carbonzero milk.
With Dubbed Simply Milk, the milk is the result of a partnership between Fonterra and local supermarket food, and has been certified as a carbonzero by the Toitu Envirocare foundation, with government support.
“Just milk [enables us to] support 7.5 km regeneration2Of native forest near Kaikoura, as well as renewable energy programs in overseas markets where Fonterra sells its products, ”Fonterra Sustainability Director Carolyn Mortland told us.
“The milk has been proven carbonzero through the purchase of carbon credits from Toitu Envirocare, which was used to combat carbon emissions. ”
The way this works is that carbon emissions are at the farming, manufacturing and circulation / sales levels all the way through so that consumption and distribution are assessed, and then projects are identified to eliminate these emissions. .
The company has also recently launched a certified carbonzero certified organic butter product to serve consumers interested in brands actively communicating about sustainability performance. The butter will launch in Southeast Asia coming April 2020.
“Obtaining carbonzero certification for products such as Organic Butter is a great way to help our customers and the environment in the short term, while working towards zero zero in our work, ”Fonterra Sustainability Solutions Senior Manager Lara Phillips added.
“[We offset the carbon footprints of the butter] with high quality carbon credits agreed with Toitū, for example from native forest regeneration or renewable energy projects [to help] consumers buy products that make a difference. ”
Miraka, on the other hand, uses georegulatory power for all factory work and says that this is the first in New Zealand to promote a Farming Excellence program that will give farmers a financial incentive to make jobs more sustainable.
“Under this program, we monitor and score each of our 100 farms based on the five categories of people, cattle, dairy, wealth and the environment, and ultimately, the highest scores. farm gets survey, milk payment paid highest, ”Hemi said.
“We will be changing the standards for this year and raising them at all times to national and international standards, to meet the quality and demand of the international market. ”
What can be done better
As for how New Zealand can continue to develop in terms of its sustainability achievements, Hemi said the biggest challenge for further progress is in mind.
“Because New Zealand milk is so successful, it’s hard for many people to see why change is needed, or they tend to wonder why other people don’t catch up with us – but that’s not the way the best way forward, ”He said.
“We all need to cross that finish line together, and the only way everyone can do that is to seek out-of-the-box solutions and keep moving forward. better in this area – large companies with larger footprints in particular need to change, and it is important to keep looking for the greatest opportunities for innovation in this area, not on who is in the first place or in the last place. “
Fonterra on the other hand believes that the way forward is to guide farmers to continuous improvement. ‘make sure they understand their distribution accounts’.
“Last year our farmers received a greenhouse gas emissions report specific to their farms. It is a very practical step towards New Zealand meeting its climate change commitments, ”Director of Fonterra Farm Excellence Charlotte Rutherford said in a statement.
“[We are also working on solutions] to reduce emissions from cattle such as Kowbucha (fermentations under R&D that could offset the harmful germs from methane in cattle) as well as joining Nestle and Dairy NZ on waterway testing development and reduction of on-farm greenhouse gas emissions. ”
Overall, it appears that much work remains to be done for New Zealand’s dairy industry in increasing its sustainability potential, so according to Hemi: “Don’t think that there is no more work to do – there is a lot more to do for ourselves and we also need to help those with greater challenges, because we all need to do this together. ”