January 18, 2021

 

HKScan aims at carbon-neutral food production

 

 

HKScan has set the goal of carbon neutrality of its own industrial production by the end of 2025 and carbon neutrality of the entire food chain, from farms to consumers, by the end of 2040.

 

"Achieving the targets requires both a significant reduction of emissions and an increase in carbon sinks, (working) together with contract farmers and other partners. This work is led in line with the company's own "Zero Carbon" climate plan," HKScan said.

 

Zero Carbon shows the steps HKScan needs to take to achieve carbon neutrality. The company has calculated emissions of its entire value chain together with KPMG experts specialising in carbon footprint calculation. The identification of emission sources initially helps guide HKScan's implementation of measures to activities with the greatest climate impact. The measures include energy solutions created for the company's own production and feeds, field farming and circular use of manure in primary production. 

 

"We have set ambitious targets and together with our contract farmers and other partners, we move towards them determinedly. It's important for us to work long-term and create permanent, more climate-friendly operating models. At the same time, we understand that we are only at the beginning of our journey and we invite our stakeholders to follow our progress," said HKScan CEO Tero Hemmilä.

 

"For almost two years now, we have successfully implemented the Turnaround programme improving HKScan's profitability, and it's clear that advanced corporate responsibility work is increasingly closely linked to business profitability. The Zero Carbon climate plan is a key part of HKScan's responsibility work and business management. At the same time, we are also creating the conditions for our contract farmers' future competitiveness and for consumers to be able to enjoy responsibly produced meat products in good conscience as part of a varied diet."

 

HKScan has carried out an extensive survey throughout the group and calculated its climate emissions in all its markets in Finland, Sweden, the Baltics and Denmark. In 2019, the total emissions were some 2.4 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent of which the company's own industrial production accounts for some 5%.

 

HKScan has reduced the emissions of its own industrial production by over 70% by introducing green, renewable electricity in its production units and systematically improving energy efficiency. At the end of 2020, all the company's production units had already switched to renewable electricity.

 

HKScan's contract farms have also been working to reduce climate impact, for example, by increasing the circular economic use of manure, introducing solar power and promoting resource efficiency in feed production.

 

In the first years of Zero Carbon, HKScan and its contract farmers will seek to reduce the climate impact of feed production by optimising the use of fertilisers and other production inputs and promoting carbon sequestration in fields.

 

Additionally, HKScan invites contract farmers to participate in climate training and provides tools to develop more sustainable meat production.

 

"We have a long tradition in the contract farming of meat. We are gradually moving to the next evolution phase in the development of contract farming, where responsibility work will be built more closely into contract farming," said Hemmilä.

 

"This work requires diverse expertise so, in addition to us and our contract farmers, other companies and expert and research organisations are involved. Together, we are looking into new ways to reduce climate impacts and scale good practices across our home markets with an ecosystem-based operating model."

 

- HKScan