September 29,  2020

Marfrig included in Science Based Target list

Marfrig has announced its participation in efforts to meet the Science Based Targets (SBT) - a global initiative that engages companies to set science-based targets for reducing their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, in line with the efforts necessary to keep global warming below 2ºC, as envisaged in the Paris Agreement.

Over 990 companies worldwide have already joined Science Based Targets, which is formed by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), the UN Global Compact, the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Marfrig, whose commitment to the initiative was formalised in September, is Brazil's first animal protein producer and Latin America's first beef producer to be included in the list.

GHG emissions are divided into three scopes: direct emissions, resulting from the production process (Scope 1) and electricity consumption (Scope 2) and indirect emissions from suppliers (Scope 3). Based on its commitment to the initiative, Marfrig used the Science Based Target methodology to set its target for reducing direct GHG emissions (Scopes 1 and 2) by 43% by 2035, considering 2019 as the base year for emissions.

To engage its supply chain in reducing GHG emissions, Marfrig has spearheaded initiatives such as the launch of Brazil's first carbon neutral beef line (Viva) in August. The new beef line is derived from animals raised within a livestock-forest production system that neutralises methane emissions based on a protocol developed by Embrapa, the state-owned agricultural research corporation.

Those three commitments align Marfrig with the efforts recommended by the Paris Agreement. Marfrig is currently monitoring the process of submitting to SBT its target for reducing GHG emissions.

Since 2009, Marfrig  has been adopting a sustainability agenda that envisages not just a reduction in its GHG emissions but also a commitment to have 100% of its production chain sustainable and free of deforestation by 2030, as well as respect for the principles of animal welfare, conscientious consumption of natural resources and the management, treatment and disposal of effluents and waste, the company said.

- Marfrig