Pragmatic on-farm solutions to reduce emissions and improve efficiencies are the cornerstone of a new partnership by Synlait and Nestlé with farmer suppliers. The co-investment will be split between the three over the next seven years, helping Synlait reach its greenhouse gas emissions target while opening new commercial opportunities with Nestlé.
Nestlé Global Chief Procurement officer,
Patricia Stroup.
The solutions include effluent management systems, emissions-friendly feed options, advanced soil testing, alternative fertilisers, and tree planting.
Synlait CEO Grant Watson said the agreement was an example of “proactive, industry-led solutions driving innovation across the supply chain, serving our customers’ demand for high quality, low-emissions products”.
The partnership aims to reduce the cost of implementing emissions reduction tools and accelerate their uptake by farmers. It will leverage technology currently in the market with the expectation to expand over time as new technologies become available.
“Synlait’s industry-leading Lead With Pride program has financially incentivised Synlait farmers to produce some of the most sustainable dairy in the world, and this partnership with Nestlé will help them go further, faster,” Watson said.
While in New Zealand, Nestlé’s Global Chief Procurement officer, Patricia Stroup, said such partnerships bring Nestlé together with farmers and processors, and would be instrumental in all parties reaching their greenhouse gas emission targets.
“Dairy is both our single biggest ingredient by volume, and our largest source of Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for around 21 per cent of our total emissions. None of us can do this alone. Knowing this drives us to find new ways of working together, and means we need to collaborate with our dairy suppliers to adopt new ways to reduce emissions, and with farmers to create plans for climate, methane, and regenerative agriculture,” Stroud said.
Stroud said the focus on what can be delivered now would be built upon as Nestlé’s research and that from external research partnerships developed new ways to reduce emissions.
“As our investigations continue, the most promising solutions are tested on research farms before being deployed more broadly. We are determined to draw on the best science worldwide, while ensuring that we deliver solutions that are locally relevant for farmers,” Stroud said.
