A Recycling Company Serious About Going Green
As a subsidiary of JBS, MOPAC takes pride in our environmental and sustainable initiatives, which just last year included going completely landfill free. In 2021, we are happy to announce that through JBS, we have announced a global commitment to achieve net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2040. The commitment spans our global operations as well as our diverse value chain of agricultural producer partners, suppliers and customers in their efforts to reduce emissions across the value chain. We are the first major meat and poultry company in the world to set a net zero target, demonstrating our leadership in the fight against global warming and climate change.
Global climate change is perhaps the greatest challenge facing society today, and as one of the most diversified global food companies, we know that we have a responsibility to leverage our scale and influence to help lead a sustainable transformation of agriculture. Over the last several months, our global leadership team has debated our sustainability strategy and the best way for our company to positively impact the next generation. We are proud to share our net zero commitment with you and are excited about what we will accomplish together through this initiative.
What does Net Zero Greenhouse Gas Mean?
Science tells us that activities like using fuels, producing electricity, fertilizing fields and even raising livestock produce GHG emissions that lead to global warming. Net zero refers to achieving an overall balance between the GHG emissions produced and the GHG emissions taken out of the atmosphere. In other words, it means we are making a substantial commitment to reduce our scope 1 emissions (direct energy, i.e. natural gas and fuel use) and scope 2 emissions (indirect energy i.e. electricity use) in our own operations and scope 3 emissions (i.e. from feed and livestock production) in our value chain. We realize we will not get these emissions to zero so we must also invest in practices that remove GHGs from the atmosphere to offset the emissions we continue to produce.
Our net zero commitment means we will partner with our suppliers and customers, and work together to achieve this commitment, while ensuring our consumers continue to enjoy a nutritious, high-quality foods that improve their lives.
What is Our Commitment?
- We will develop GHG emission reduction targets across our global operations and value chains in South America, North America, Europe, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand.
- We will provide a time-bound roadmap that provides interim targets based on the SBTi that will help us reach net zero.
- We will provide annual updates on progress to ensure transparency. We will also disclose financial risks linked to climate change, in line with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD) initiative.
How Will We Reach Net Zero Greenhouse Gases?
- Reducing direct emissions in our facilities: By 2030, we will reduce our global scope 1 and 2 emission intensity by at least 30% against a 2019 base year.
- Investing in the future: JBS and Pilgrim’s will invest more than $1 billion in incremental capital expenditures over the next decade in emission reduction projects. The company will engage its team members and award funding for projects to its facilities using a panel consisting of company executives, specialists and academics.
- Eliminating deforestation: JBS will eliminate illegal Amazon deforestation from its supply chain – including the suppliers of it suppliers – by 2025, and in other Brazilian biomes by 2030. The company will achieve zero deforestation across its global supply chain by 2035.
- Using 100% renewable electricity in our facilities: We will join RE100 and convert to 100% renewable electricity across our global facilities by 2040.
- Fostering innovation: JBS and Pilgrim’s will invest $100 million by 2030 in research and development projects to assist producer efforts to strengthen and scale regenerative farming practices, including carbon sequestration and on-farm emission mitigation technologies. This investment will contribute to reducing scope 3 emissions across our value chain, in our efforts toward net zero.
- Ensuring accountability: Across JBS and Pilgrim’s, performance against environmental goals, including GHG emission reduction targets, will be part of senior executive compensation considerations.
We will work to develop a net zero greenhouse gas roadmap that lays out all the steps and targets necessary to achieve our goal. While we don’t have all the answers today, we know that we will need your help and support to accomplish net zero greenhouse gas.
We will provide more details as the program develops, but for now I want to thank you for your support and congratulate our company for being the first in our sector to take this bold step. The road ahead will not be easy, but it is the right thing to do for our company, our team members, our suppliers, our customers and the planet.
If you have any questions or comments, please go to https://sustainability.jbssa.com or go to MOPAC’s sustainability pages for more information! If you are interested in working with MOPAC to improve your businesses sustainability, reach out to us through the web today to find out how MOPAC can help!
