GHG Emissions, Industrial  -  July 29, 2021

Ceres Launches Call on Highest-Emitting Companies in Agriculture to Limit Emissions

Ceres announced July 29 a new initiative to engage 50 of the highest-emitting food and agriculture companies in North America in reducing their emissions to support the transition to a net-zero industry.

The Food Emissions 50 program includes a collection of investors who will support Ceres in its goal of reaching out to the 50 publicly traded companies that the initiative will focus on. Boards and senior management at the companies in question will be sought out to make commitments to:

• Disclose greenhouse gas emissions across their entire value chain and set science-based emission reduction targets aligned with 1.5 °C. 
• Develop and disclose comprehensive climate transition action plans for reducing emissions in line with what is needed to limit warming to 1.5 °C. 
• Implement the actions identified in those plans and disclose progress.

Ceres recently found through its research that 70% of these 50 companies do not disclose emissions from agriculture, and more than 80% do not disclose emissions from land use change. More than 60% do not include any Scope 3 emissions in their reduction targets.

“High-emitting food companies have a significant role to play in achieving a net zero emissions economy,” Julie Nash, director of food and forests at Ceres, said in a statement. “Moving top North American food companies to disclose and reduce supply chain emissions will have considerable ripple effects in the global food and agriculture sector.”

The food and agriculture sector is now just one of six high-emitting industries that Ceres is attempting to decarbonize through similar programs.

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