McCain Foods has said that renewable electricity now accounts for 18.5% of its total electricity use.
In its latest sustainability report , the company said that absolute CO₂ emissions have reduced by 6% from 2017 (Scope 1 and 2), while it has also reported a 17% reduction in CO2 per tonne of product produced.
Elsewhere, McCain says 98% of its paper packaging and 90% of its plastic packaging is now designed for recycling.
Farm Of The Future Africa
The report also notes progress in the group's Farm of the Future Africa initiative where McCain tests regenerative farming in a Southern Hemisphere environment. The first crop of potatoes has been planted at the farm. which is located in Lichtenburg, South Africa.
Furthermore, the report claims that McCain has implemented its Regenerative Agriculture Framework to support farmers and measure adoption of regenerative farming practices in priority regions, while establishing financing partnerships for regenerative farming in France and Canada.
McCain says it achieved an 8% reduction in CO2 emissions per tonne from potato farming, storage and freight and improved water-use efficiency by 11% in water-stressed regions.
'Fragility Of Global Food System'
"Environmental and social stewardship are part of our DNA at McCain," said Max Koeune, president and chief executive of McCain Foods. "The escalating climate and nature crises illustrate the fragility of our global food system with wide-reaching impact on consumers, growers, the land and communities."
"We believe agriculture can and must be transformed to safeguard our future and we are encouraged by the progress we are seeing in our sustainability journey. While much work remains, we are determined to continue to advance on our commitments."
© 2023 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest supply chain news. Article by Robert McHugh. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
