June 3, 2020
Cargill makes significant progress toward sustainability goals
Cargill has embodied sustainability into the company's purpose, and woven it into its core operations including investment priorities, organisational structure and resource allocation.
The company recently outlined progress against sustainability goals in critical supply chains including aqua nutrition, soy and beef, along with ocean transportation, cocoa and chocolate and palm.
With a focus on advancing progress on land use, climate change, water, farmer prosperity and human rights, the company is working across every supply chain to drive sustainable production, transportation and operations.
"The call for radical transparency is increasing. More than ever, our customers and consumers want to understand the story behind the products they buy", said Jill Kolling, vice president of Global Sustainability, Cargill.
"By investing and partnering on solutions to enhance transparency in the food system, we can deliver meaningful and sustainable impact on the ground and increase consumer confidence."
Over the past year, Cargill adopted global sustainability efforts to more quickly advance progress. The company established a science-based commitment to reduce supply chain emissions by 30% by 2030, a bold climate commitment to reinforce support of the Paris Climate Commitment.
Cargill also established its Forest Protection Advisory Panel to bring diverse insights and support continuous improvement on the ground. Additionally, a BeefUp Sustainability Advisory Panel will offer critical review of the strategy and resources underpinning the North America beef supply chain sustainability initiative.
Aquaculture
In the field of aquaculture, Cargill supports the sustainable growth of the global aquaculture industry by enabling better seafood and helping farmers succeed. With a focus on delivering animal health and welfare through feed and nutrition, Cargill reports in accordance with Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards, which provides a level of transparency to build trust.
Aquaculture accomplishments:
-- Cargill is educating consumers about the efficiency and favorable ecological footprint of farmed fish by reporting openly and supporting industry certification schemes. Through partnerships like Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship (SeaBOS) and Global Salmon Initiative (GSI), Cargill works with customers, food service and retail industries, suppliers, industry partners, and even competitors, to advance—and communicate about—sustainability in the aquaculture industry.
-- Last year, Cargill trained more than 5,000 seafood farmers and workers in Thailand and Vietnam through local sustainability workshops and mobile lab services, supporting continued growth of sustainable practices in these regions.
-- In 2019, Cargill ranked sixth out of the top 30 seafood companies on the World Benchmarking Alliance's Seafood Stewardship Index, reflecting its progress on key topics like responsible ingredient sourcing. For example, all of the soy used in Cargill's salmon feeds was certified to RTRS or ProTerra standards or was organic, supporting its deforestation commitments.
Soy
Cargill's progress on its Soy Action Plan – South America Origins is reported semi-annually. During the first half of this year, Cargill continued to steadily pursue its objective of building deforestation-free supply chains. Cargill is commited to protecting forests and native vegetation in South America, or in its belief that this can be done in ways that are economically viable for farmers and local communities.
Among Cargill's achievements:
-- Completed mapping of its Brazil supply chain with georeferenced single points six months ahead of schedule, accelerating its efforts to increase traceability.
-- Expanded its direct engagement with farmers in Brazil, including the launch of a new partnership with the largest farmer association in the state of Bahia, one of four states in the Matopiba region that includes much of the Cerrado.
-- Continued to grow its SSS certification program in Brazil and Paraguay, providing a larger market for soybeans grown through verified sustainable methods. Farmers who commit to this program pledge to produce their crops under three basic criteria: use of best agricultural practices; protecting worker welfare; and managing greenhouse gas emissions under a continuous improvement process.
Beef
Through its BeefUp Sustainability initiative, Cargill is engaging innovative minds to explore impactful ways to drive progress toward its greenhouse gas-reduction commitment.
Specifically:
-- Cargill sponsored the Yield Lab Institute's Manure Challenge, which guides startups as they develop innovative solutions and products that enable economic and environmental benefits for farmers with effective manure management practices. The challenge winner was to be selected Tuesday, June 2, in a live virtual event.
-- In collaboration with Texas Tech University, Cargill is conducting a study to further understand the potential sustainability impact of cross-breeding dairy and beef cattle, which could result in decreased greenhouse gas emissions by improving overall productivity.
"Across our supply chains, we've demonstrated transparent progress against our sustainability goals, but there is still more to be done across the industry," said Kolling.
"With continued partnership and collaboration, agriculture is how we can assure the dependability of future supply chains, empower communities and contribute to the development of economies."
Meanwhile, in addition to its sustainability work, Cargill is supporting and lifting up agricultural communities around the world, especially as they continue to grapple with the spread of COVID-19. The company has contributed to funds dedicated to those whose livelihoods have been most impacted by the virus including the National Restaurant Association Foundation Employee Relief Fund and the American Farmland Trust's Farmer Relief Fund.
The company has also donated 3 million pounds of food to local community organisations and food shelves to help keep families fed across the globe.
