Glanbia has “data-mapped” its direct milk suppliers in the US so they can understand their emission sources and “calculate their baseline emission factor,” according to the global nutrition group.
The Kilkenny-headquartered group has also detailed how it is “tailoring” this approach in the US to each supplier and is investigating how technology may help.
The group has published an update on how it is working with suppliers and joint venture partners specifically in the US “to nurture a sustainable dairy industry”.
Michael Patten, Glanbia’s chief environmental, social, governance (ESG) and corporate affairs officer, said it is looking at which technologies “will be most effective” at reducing on-farm greenhouse gases (GHGs) and are also examining “which are economically viable and feasible”.
Patten added:
“Each farm will have its own way of doing things and it’s really important that the technologies match that, rather than a vanilla approach.”
Glanbia has detailed in its latest update that the largest proportion of GHG emissions in its supply chain primarily comes from cows’ digestive process (enteric methane) and their manure.
According to the Kilkenny-headquartered group, US farmers are currently trying a number of different methods to reduce emissions including adding probiotics to cattle feed and experimenting with other natural additives to reduce enteric emissions.
Patten said the company is keen to encourage farmers to adopt “emissions-reduction technologies” as part of its overall objective to “nurture a sustainable dairy industry”.
He said Glanbia is “prioritising” sustainability across its business operations.
It has highlighted a number of examples of how it is currently doing this in the US including how it can “recover” water from raw milk and then reuse this water.
Glanbia said that surplus treated water from its Michigan plant is clean enough to be exported into the Great Lakes and at its Gooding plant in Idaho. It uses the water that comes in from milk supplies, treats this and then uses it to irrigate crops.
“Those crops go into dairy cattle feed back on the farms and the process starts all over again,” Patten said.
According to the group’s ESG officer, Glanbia knows “where we need to get to and we’re making good progress”.
“Our focus now is on how we continue to navigate that journey in a way that makes sense for all stakeholders in the value chain,” he added.