McCain Foods has released its sustainability strategy that centres on a global commitment to reduce CO2 emissions by 50 per cent and move out of coal to renewable electricity by 2030.
Key points:
- McCain Foods has committed to reduce CO2 emissions by 50 per cent and be 100 per cent powered by renewable energy by 2030.
- Greenpeace says 80 per cent of Australians want to see big businesses use more renewable electricity
- McCain is investing in a biodigester to create energy from potato waste
Agriculture Director for Australia and New Zealand, Rod McLaren, said he was excited the company was going green.
"The spotlight has been put squarely on the challenges being posed by climate change and our fragile global food systems," he said.
Kicking out coal
The company has 49 production plants globally, with sites across Europe, in Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, North and South America, China, India and South Africa.
But Mr McLaren said Australia's Ballarat plant was setting the agenda with a behind-the-meter solar farm in operation, which will be the largest in Australia once the building is complete.
"We're also building a biodigester. One of our targets is to be utilising 100 per cent of potato by-products by 2025," he said.
Biodigestion is the process of creating an energy-rich gas, by placing organic materials, such as potato peels, into an airtight container to breakdown.
"We divert most of our by-product to cattle feed but we will use some of that better by running it through a biodigester to create energy."
Race to the top
Lindsay Soutar, a renewable energy campaigner with Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said it was important food manufacturers committed to eliminating coal and utilising renewable energy.
"It's critical for tackling climate change, and we know that [McCain] is starting to make progress towards achieving that goal here in Australia which, is really pleasing to see," she said.
"These businesses are driving the transition to 100 per cent renewable electricity. Other big companies including Mars and Kellogg's have signed big deals to get a lot more of their power from wind and solar projects."
Ms Soutar said McCain Foods was on the same track as Mars, which is now entirely powered by renewables and also have a manufacturing plant in Ballarat.
"It's a big corporate race that we're seeing underway to shift entirely to renewable energy.
"What McCain has done with the big solar development in Ballarat shows that renewables are affordable and better for business."
Would you like fries with that?
Ms Soutar said, despite these efforts, there was more that big agribusinesses should do, and consumers expected more.
"The next big step for them will be looking into how they can get off the gas," she said.
"That's the next frontier that's going to be critically important for these companies to be playing a leadership role in.
"Polling shows that 80 per cent of Australians want to see big businesses use more renewable electricity, and nearly 70 per cent want big businesses to commit to 100 per cent renewable energy."
'Smart and sustainable' farming
Another environmental goal in McCain Foods sustainability report is to implement regenerative agricultural practices across 100 per cent of suppliers' farms by 2030.
This includes practices such as protecting soils, enhancing crop and ecosystem diversity, reducing chemicals, and optimising water use.
"I'm pretty proud to say that most of our growers, if not all of them, are doing at least 90 per cent of that, which is really good."