McCain Foods commits to limit global warming to 1.5°C

McCain Foods launched its 2020 Global Sustainability Summary Report, announcing that its emission reduction plan and targets have been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative, aligning them with the goals of the Paris Agreement to keep global warming to 1.5°C.

“By having our targets validated as science-based, McCain is ensuring our actions will make a meaningful contribution to global efforts to tackle climate change,” said Max Koeune, President and CEO, McCain. “When we say we are reducing our carbon emissions by 50 per cent, that is actual decarbonization across our operations. Carbon offsets cannot be used with the Science Based Targets initiative. This is a robust, substantial commitment to move towards carbon neutrality.”

The company’s commitment to implement regenerative agricultural practices across 100 per cent of its potato acreage will help cut its emissions related to farming by 25 per cent. Another initiative is the solar farm and biogas digester McCain is building at its production facility in Ballarat, Australia. Set to be fully operational next year, it will yield a 39 per cent reduction in energy from the grid, and reduce carbon emissions by 27,000 tonnes a year.

Other carbon-reduction initiatives planned include:

• Moving to 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2030.
• Building renewable generation capacity at its processing plants.
• Phasing out use of coal in all operations, including China, where the recent phase out reduces McCain’s annual carbon emission by 21,000 tonnes annually.
• Further reducing reliance on fossil fuels through electrification and alternative fuels.
• Continuing to drive energy efficiency improvements across its global facilities
• Ensuring 100 per cent of packaging will be recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025.

“Our commitment to cut our global emissions in half is what the latest climate science says is needed to prevent the most damaging effects of climate change,” said Koeune. “It will also help us establish a clearly defined pathway to more sustainable farms and operations.”