Cargill demonstrates advancements in sustainability in 2023.
As per the company’s 2023 ESG report, Cargill has allocated $78 million towards efficiency and sustainability programs in its operations. The 164-page report, released on November 7, outlines Cargill’s advancements in achieving its sustainability objectives.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from purchased energy and direct activities, or Scope 1 and 2 emissions, is one of these objectives. According to Cargill, the company’s Scope 1 and 2 targets for 2019 have been accepted by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) using a baseline from 2017. As per the ESG report, Cargill surpassed its target of cutting 10% of “absolute operational” GHG emissions by 2025, as it decreased emissions from its operations by 10.97% as of calendar year 2022 compared to its 2017 baseline. According to Cargill, the company reached this milestone because it raised the amount of renewable energy used in its operations and implemented technology and process efficiency in a methodical manner.
Cargill’s ESG report states that during the past year, the company has worked to find more sustainable energy sources. In order to supply bundled energy and Tradable Instruments for Global Renewables (TIGRs), which are energy attribute certificates obtained from renewable resources like wind, solar, geothermal, and hydropower, one of these initiatives entails collaborating with PLN, an Indonesian government-owned electric utility company. Cargill reported that it reduced more than 50,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) and supported seven company sites in Indonesia by acquiring more than 70,000 megawatt hours of clean electricity from PLN.
Furthermore, the study mentioned that Cargill has procured Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) for wind and solar power in 12 countries, resulting in 14 additional online projects. Four further contracts for offtake from projects that are scheduled to come online within the next two years were also executed by Cargill. The company anticipates that when the upcoming projects are completed in 2024, its mix of renewable electricity sources would lower annual CO2 emissions by 715,000 tonnes.
According to the research, Cargill has been implementing regenerative agriculture principles on 880,000 acres of land in North America since 2020, bringing the company closer to its target of 10 million acres by 2030. Planting cover crops, cutting back on tillage, rotating grazing, and improving nutrient management are some of these techniques. Through initiatives like Cargill RegenConnect, which compensates farmers for better soil health and favorable environmental outcomes in order to link them to the expanding environmental economy, Cargill says it is expanding regenerative agriculture. In 2023, the corporation increased the number of US states participating in this program from 15 to 24, in addition to numerous European nations like Germany, Poland, Romania, and France. In addition, Cargill RegenConnect was recognized for building a more secure and resilient food sector with the 2023 Edison Award.
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food system give us the opportunity — and responsibility — to deliver meaningful solutions when it comes to pressing challenges facing people and the planet,” stated Brian Sikes, president and chief executive officer of the company. Agriculture’s capacity to solve problems has always been crucial for providing food, sustaining the livelihoods of farmers and other food workers, and opening doors for development. Cargill is striving to help achieve zero hunger, decarbonize our industries, safeguard and replenish natural resources, and ultimately enhance the lives of people by leading with our values.