March 17, 2008

Arla Foods pledges to cut dairy emissions by 25 percent

Arla Foods said it would cut 25 percent of its current green house gas (GHG) emissions from its entire production and distribution cycle by 2020, in line with revised global targets on industrial carbon dioxide output.

Concerns over the environmental impacts of food and beverage manufacture from both governments and environmental groups, has led to processors having to reduce output of waste and green house gas emissions.

Group chief executive officer Peter Tuborgh said the company's plan, which will target a variety of areas of its operations from the farmyard through to distribution, was an ambitious long-term strategy.

Tuborg said that Arla does not possess all the solutions just yet, but the company wants to send a signal that it is taking the GHG issue very seriously.

According to its own estimates, the company's present green house gas emissions are about 1.5 million tonnes a year from its combined production, transportation and packaging operations.

Arla Foods said that its position as a dairy cooperative therefore put it in a strong position to adapt emissions at all levels of the dairy value chain.

As part of the sustainability drive, Tuborgh said the company will focus particularly on encouraging research in its three core markets within Europe.

Arla's announcement falls after a recent meeting of a standing committee of the International Dairy Federation, which outlined environmental sustainability

Christian Robert, director general of the IDF, which represents stakeholders throughout the global dairy industry, said that its experts were increasingly looking for new solutions to reduce the impact of dairy on the ecosystem.