The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has clearly stated that in order to minimise the potentially devastating impacts of climate change, we must limit global warming to 1.5oC and reach net zero global emissions well before 2050. We acknowledge the impacts of climate change are already evident at both global and local levels. As a food business, we are focused on the need to take meaningful and prompt action now to increase the chance of protecting global ecosystems and sustainable food production systems.
Food and agriculture will be directly impacted by climate change but are also responsible for about one third of global emissions meaning we have a critical role to play in reducing the sector’s contribution to climate change.
We have announced an ambitious goal to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2040 to drive the decarbonisation of our business, products and supply chain. On our way towards net zero, we are reassessing what we do and how we do it to find tangible improvements that will generate the most impact.
Our net zero goal includes scope 1, 2 and material scope 3 emissions. We will be using internationally recognised methods (such as the Greenhouse Gas Protocol) to ensure a robust approach to tackling Scope 3 emissions. Goodman Fielder will prioritise the avoidance and reduction of emissions to achieve our goals rather than an offset led approach.
By embedding emissions considerations in key business processes including capital projects and procurement we will view every investment in our business as an opportunity to step change our sustainability performance.
We recently completed a national lighting replacement program in Australia to install high-efficiency lighting across our manufacturing sites and our network transformation program in NZ is expected to reduce emissions from our product distribution activities by about 20%.
We have a target to achieve 100% renewable electricity by 2025, which will be a key milestone in our net zero pathway as it eliminates our scope 2 emissions. Importantly, this initiative also sets the foundation for the electrification of processes that currently use fossil fuels (e.g. hot water boilers) which make up a large proportion of our scope 1 emissions. To achieve our net zero goal by 2040 we will be working with suppliers, customers, peers and external experts/stakeholders to map and measure our emission profile and develop net zero pathways for key sectors and/or activities. We know there are many opportunities ready for implementation now including energy productivity, low emission vehicles, tackling food waste, supporting regenerative agriculture and optimising logistics networks. We will also support the development, piloting and adoption of innovative solutions to our net zero challenge.