Two years in the making, Coles is launching its own brand, certified carbon neutral beef range in Victoria, with a national rollout planned over the next 12 months.
Coles CEO Steven Cain said the company had been working with farmers in Victoria and New South Wales to calculate and reduce their emissions, achieving a 19 per cent drop below the Australian average.
“When we announced our Sustainability Strategy just over a year ago, we said we’d work with all our stakeholders to achieve our Together to Zero emissions ambitions and to be Australia’s most sustainable supermarket.
“Coles Finest Certified Carbon Neutral Beef is a testament to the hard work of our beef producers and their commitment to sustainable practices, and we’re thrilled that they’re taking this important step with us,” Cain said.
Delatite Station cattle farmers Mark and Fenella Ritchie have been supplying Coles for 10 years, and are one of the beef producers now delivering certified carbon neutral beef.
“We are really pleased to be part of the project with Coles. We are always looking to produce the finest quality beef with a strong commitment to environmental and animal welfare values that are backed up with an evidence-based approach to our decision making,” Mark Ritchie said.
Coles worked with Integrity Ag & Environment principal research scientist Dr Stephen Wiedemann and beef producers on the most effective methods to reduce net carbon emissions on beef farms through carbon sequestration.
Using a process called carbon insetting – when reducing emissions is carried out at or directly related to their source – the carbon stored in tree plantings and vegetation is then included in the farm’s carbon account to reduce the overall emissions associated with the farm’s production.
Coles was the first to pilot insetting as part of the federal government’s Climate Active program.
“The Coles carbon neutral beef initiative, and the information we have gained along the way about how we can reduce carbon emissions on farms through better herd performance and tree planting, will be invaluable to farmers everywhere,” Wiedemann said.
The project also incorporated renewable energy, changing herd management practices for more efficient reproduction and to maximise growth, and use of genetic selection to improve herd health.
Coles is also purchasing Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) from the Armoobilla Regeneration Project in south-west Queensland to cover emissions that fall outside the scope of the insetting measures, such as those involved in processing and transporting the beef to stores, ensuring that the range achieves carbon neutral status.
There will be seven products in the range and the packaging is fully recyclable and made from 90 per cent recycled and plant-based sources, an Australian innovation by Coles’ packaging partner Plantic. The packs will also carry the Climate Active stamp.
