Article

Food sustainability: is your sandwich costing the earth?

Our food system is responsible for a third of all carbon emissions.

When you think of climate change, you might not think about your sandwich, but the food we eat has a substantial carbon footprint.

The International Panel on Climate Change estimates our food system is responsible for 18 gigatons of CO2 equivalent (GtCO2e) per year; more than all the world's planes, trains and automobiles combined.

If current trends continue, the emissions from our food systems are projected to increase by 60-90% from 2010 to 2050.

How our food is causing climate change

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within our food systems can be placed into three categories: Agricultural production, Land Use Change and Supply Chain Activities.

Agricultural Production

Agricultural production is the largest contributor to our food systems' greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Meat production is responsible for over half of GHG emission related to agriculture (54% for latest 2018-2020 figures).

Of these emissions, methane is one of the most concerning.

Methane is a greenhouse gas 28 times more potent than carbon (over a 100-year period) that is produced by beef and dairy cattle when they digest plants.

Increased global red meat consumption has pushed methane levels to record highs, with very serious consequences for climate change.

Land Use Change

According to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), agricultural expansion drives almost 90 percent of global deforestation. Tropical rainforests, in particular, continue to be the most at risk, with 95% of deforestation thought to occur in the tropics.

Food systems can be directly linked to nearly half of tree cover loss. One major impact is what is known as commodity-driven deforestation.

Commodity-driven deforestation is where forests are cleared to produce food ingredients. Beef, soy and palm oil are responsible for 60% of tropical deforestation.

For example, cattle grazing in Latin America for beef and palm plantations in Southeast Asia to produce the palm oil used in a range of prepared products.

In 2021, 5.32Mha forest was lost globally due to commodity-driven deforestation, the equivalent of 14 football pitches every minute.

Supply Chain Activities

The third major contribution to carbon emissions in our food is the supply chain.

The FAO maintains that the food supply chain in many countries is on course to overtake farming and land use as the largest contributor of GHGs from the agri-food system.

This includes emissions associated with processing, transportation, storage, refrigeration, packaging, and waste.

Urgent action is required to meet international carbon targets

Current trends in our food systems are going in the wrong direction.

Quick and decisive action is needed to decarbonise our food systems if we are to meet the Paris Agreement target and avoid dangerous levels of climate change.

The UN estimates that to have a good chance of limiting average global temperature rises to below 2°C we need to limit agricultural emissions to 5 GtCO2e per year; a decrease of more than 70% on our current trajectory.

Reducing the carbon footprint of food

For organisations that are involved in food supply chains, there is plenty to be done to reduce environmental impacts:

1.       Evaluate: The first step is you haven’t already is to your organisation’s current GHG emissions. This should include work to identify and quantify the most prominent sources of emissions in your supply chain (known as scope 3 emissions).

2.       Aspire: Once you have this information, you can set your goals. Good practice is to use the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to set Net Zero emissions targets, which are in line with global climate change objectives and prioritise decarbonisation over carbon offsetting. For more information check out our post on 3 essential free tools for setting Net Zero targets.

3.       Strategy: Develop the roadmap for how you will achieve your ambitious targets. Consider where your greatest impacts are and try to tackle these as a priority. There may also be areas where you can help to reduce cost as well as reduce your impacts.

4.       Inform: Communicate your objectives both internally and externally, particularly with other organisations in your supply chain. Provide written guidance materials to provide clarity on what your requirements are and the timelines that need to be achieved.

5.       Execute: Now it is time to follow the roadmap. Setting up effective governance and introducing emissions-based KPIs and incentives will support the delivery and achievement of your emissions reductions targets.

6.      Report: Each year it is good practice to report internally and externally on performance. Be honest about performance to date and review and refine as required to ensure that you remain on track to meet your objective.

Reducing your food footprint

At GB Sustainability we want to make being green easier for smaller businesses, so that we achieve international carbon emissions goals.

We hope that you find the above information useful. If you would like further help, or you would like to talk to us about how you can reduce carbon emissions in your business, set up a free initial exploratory call with one of our sustainability professionals today.

 

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