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Box 2.9 Building Sustainability Through the Pork Value Chain in the
United States
Private sector investment, innovation, and scale are helping more farmers and
ranchers shift to lower-carbon production systems. Smithfield Foods, the
world’s largest pig producer and pork processor, led the protein industry as
the first to announce an ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction
goal throughout its entire supply chain (The 25 by ’25 Initiative). By 2025,
Smithfield will reduce its absolute GHG emissions from its 2010 baseline by
25%, or four million metric tons, equivalent to removing 900,000 cars from
the road.
The initiative began with the creation of a robust model to estimate the
GHG footprint of Smithfield’s entire supply chain – a collaboration with the
University of Minnesota’s NorthStar Institute for Sustainable Enterprise and
in partnership with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). To ensure
Smithfield reaches this goal, the company launched Smithfield Renewables, a
platform within the organization that will unify, lead, and accelerate its carbon
reduction and renewable energy efforts.
Smithfield made commitments to improve the carbon footprint of the feed
crops for their pork production, optimize fertilizer use and improve soil
health, install efficient manure management technologies, and more efficiently track and manage logistics of transportation fleets to cuts costs and
emissions.
In 2017, Smithfield fed its pigs more than 7.4 million pounds of grain. The
GHG analysis of the Smithfield supply chain noted that animal feed accounts
for 15–20% of their entire production carbon emissions. By helping farmers
in their feed supply chain shift to efficient fertilizer and soil health practices
(such as using cover crops, nitrogen sensors, and other conservation practices)
and by promoting sustainable grains such as sorghum (a resilient crop that
costs less to grow, offers good nutrition for pigs, and serves as part of a cropdiversification strategy), the program provides a triple win: more profit for
farmers, improved soil and water health with less greenhouse gas emissions
for the planet, and nutritious sources of feed for healthy pigs.
A. Steensland and M. Zeigler
Box 2.9 Building Sustainability Through the Pork Value Chain in the
United States
Private sector investment, innovation, and scale are helping more farmers and
ranchers shift to lower-carbon production systems. Smithfield Foods, the
world’s largest pig producer and pork processor, led the protein industry as
the first to announce an ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction
goal throughout its entire supply chain (The 25 by ’25 Initiative). By 2025,
Smithfield will reduce its absolute GHG emissions from its 2010 baseline by
25%, or four million metric tons, equivalent to removing 900,000 cars from
the road.
The initiative began with the creation of a robust model to estimate the
GHG footprint of Smithfield’s entire supply chain – a collaboration with the
University of Minnesota’s NorthStar Institute for Sustainable Enterprise and
in partnership with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). To ensure
Smithfield reaches this goal, the company launched Smithfield Renewables, a
platform within the organization that will unify, lead, and accelerate its carbon
reduction and renewable energy efforts.
Smithfield made commitments to improve the carbon footprint of the feed
crops for their pork production, optimize fertilizer use and improve soil
health, install efficient manure management technologies, and more efficiently track and manage logistics of transportation fleets to cuts costs and
emissions.
In 2017, Smithfield fed its pigs more than 7.4 million pounds of grain. The
GHG analysis of the Smithfield supply chain noted that animal feed accounts
for 15–20% of their entire production carbon emissions. By helping farmers
in their feed supply chain shift to efficient fertilizer and soil health practices
(such as using cover crops, nitrogen sensors, and other conservation practices)
and by promoting sustainable grains such as sorghum (a resilient crop that
costs less to grow, offers good nutrition for pigs, and serves as part of a cropdiversification strategy), the program provides a triple win: more profit for
farmers, improved soil and water health with less greenhouse gas emissions
for the planet, and nutritious sources of feed for healthy pigs.
A. Steensland and M. Zeigler