Global chicken and pork company Pilgrim’s has recently released its 2022 Sustainability Report, highlighting advancements in areas of sustainability in the US, UK, Europe, and Mexico. Crucially, it provides updates on the company’s progress toward sustainability goals and case studies, in line with its pledge to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.
A key example given was through its subsidiary and one of Europe’s leading poultry producers, Moy Park. Its Farm of the Future innovation can lower Scope 1 and 2 on-farm emissions by 100%, being the first farm in the UK to do so.
Other initiatives include approving over 120 Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions reduction projects, to be implemented in various Pilgrim’s facilities. A 20% reduction in both Scope 1 and 2 emission intensity was also achieved, and 100% of renewable electricity in Pilgrim’s UK and Food Masters businesses has been leveraged.
“At Pilgrim’s, sustainability is embedded throughout our business and provides the opportunity to leverage our scale, influence, and expertise to help agriculture be part of the climate solution as we work to fight climate change,” said CEO Fabio Sandri.
“As a key player in the food system, we are lowering our emissions and supporting producers, suppliers, and customers to continue improving their environmental footprint and preserving natural resources as well.”
Pilgrim’s: Delivering scalable solutions
The impact of on-farm emissions on companies’ sustainability rankings is well-documented. Food companies often fail to achieve their sustainability targets across their value chains as a result of massive agricultural emissions, which are reported to create 11% of greenhouse gas emissions in the US.
Pilgrim’s provides more than 133 million daily servings of protein to retailers, restaurants, food service providers, and consumers across the globe. It partners with more than 4,900 family farms for poultry and above 6,300 family farms for hog and lamb suppliers. Nearly one out of every six chickens in the US are sourced from the company.
Efforts to reduce its carbon footprint are well underway. The company has developed and implemented a behavior-based playbook within its US facilities to optimize procedures against greenhouse gas emissions. On a global scale, research endeavors are being conducted by individual Pilgrim’s businesses to improve animal welfare, animal nutrition, farm management, and other areas.
“This report allows us to share the progress we’ve made and identifies areas of ongoing opportunity, and we hope it also serves as a way to push forward the food and agriculture industry as a whole,” said Sandri.
“As a large company and employer, we recognize that the role we play extends beyond our own walls, and we continue to work on delivering scalable solutions to the sustainability challenges that impact us all.”
