We are proud to announce the approval of our industry leading 2030 Science Based Targets which will see us reduce scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions to the level required to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees – the most ambitious goal set of the Paris Agreement. These targets have been validated by The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
The approved targets are consistent with those needed to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from our scope 1 and 2 operations by 50% by 2030, and reduce GHG emissions from our scope 3 value chain, including purchased goods and services and upstream leased assets, by 50% per tonne sold within the same time frame.
The commitments form part of Cranswick’s ‘Second Nature’ sustainability strategy and underpins our ambition to be Net Zero across all their operations by 2040.
We have already made significant progress on our Net Zero journey. So far, nine manufacturing sites have been certified carbon neutral under the PAS 2060 standard with a target of all production facilities achieving this standard by the end of 2021. We have achieved a 59% reduction in relative carbon emissions since 2016 and are investing in VERRA and Gold Standard verified carbon removal and mitigation projects. This has offset 18,698 tonnes of carbon in 2020/21 with an additional 941 tonnes procured for future carbon removal through UK Woodland projects.
We’re innovating within our farming operations, reducing the amount of soya used within our animal feed and committing to sourcing from areas of zero deforestation by 2025. We are implementing regenerative agricultural techniques targeting soil health, with a recent project achieving a 10% increase in soil organic matter, enabling us to sequester carbon and cycle CO2 by an additional eight tonnes per hectare.
Adam Couch, CEO at Cranswick plc, commented: “As we transition to halve our emissions by 2030 and reach Net Zero by 2040, we are taking a truly integrated approach to tackling the climate crisis. We have purposely set ourselves the toughest target on scope 3 because we know we must work collaboratively across our total supply chain, and we cannot do this alone.”