Climate change is one of the major challenges of our time. Scientists estimate that if humanity does not change course soon, many species will become extinct, food security will be threatened, and human activities will be compromised by 2100. The effects of climate disruption are already visible and affected our daily lives: rising temperatures, more frequent droughts, more intense storms…
These are clear signals that illustrate how urgent it is for us – individuals, governments and businesses – to act quickly to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and mitigate the effects of climate change.
As a leader in the agri-food industry, Lactalis is committed to reducing emissions throughout its value chain (scopes 1, 2 and 3) to achieve its Net Zero ambition by 2050.
Identifying our sources of emissions.
To implement our climate roadmap, we started to calculate our emissions and identifying our main sources of emissions. To do this, Lactalis referred to the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol.
In 2023, Lactalis emitted 44.9 million tonnes of CO2eq. As our activities and emissions evolve over time, we are committed to achieving zero net emissions, taking 2019 as the reference year for scope 1 and 2, and 2021 for scope 3 FLAG
Lactalis emissions by activities:
Scope 11,916,567 tonnes of CO2eq
Scope 2589,308 tonnes of CO2eq
Scope 342,438,081 tonnes of CO2eq
- Non FLAG : 5,663,986 tonnes of CO2eq
- FLAG : 36,774,094 tonnes of CO2eq
Our “Net zero” roadmap validated by the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi)
To set our climate commitments at the right level of ambition, we worked with the Science-Based Targets (SBTi) initiative, an independent organization that provides recommendations and criteria for defining reduction targets aligned with what science deems necessary to achieve the Paris Agreement goals. In 2024, the Science-Based Targets initiative validated our climate commitments. This recognition by SBTi is a clear signal of the credibility of our climate strategy, demonstrating our commitment to contributing effectively to collective efforts.
Our journey towards net zero involves setting intermediate targets for reducing GHG emissions between now and 2030, and covers our entire value chain:
· Reduce our absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 46.2% by 2030 from a 2019 base year*.
· Ensure that 73.8% of our suppliers and customers by emissions, covering purchased goods and services, capital goods, fuel-and energy-related activities, upstream transportation and distribution and processing of sold products, will have science-based targets by 2028.
· Reduce our scope 3 FLAG GHG emissions 30.3% by 2030 from a 2021 base year**.
· Zero deforestation across our primary deforestation-linked commodities, with a target date no later than December 31, 2025.46.2% absolute reduction in scope 1 and scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 2019*.
*The target includes land-related emissions and carbon removals from bioenergy feedstocks.
**Target includes FLAG emissions and removals.
Strong roadmaps covering our entire value chain
Acting on our direct activities
Scopes 1 and 2 emissions from industrial sites, warehouses and transport account for 6% of our carbon footprint. Our roadmap for our direct activities is based on short- and long-term actions:
Industrial sites and adjoining warehouses
1) Improve operational performance by implementing best practices in production and warehousing;
2) Make the transition to less carbon-intensive, particle-emitting energy sources.
3) Promote the transition to renewable energy sources.
Transport and logistics
1) Improve driving practices
2) Transition to less carbon-intensive fuels
3) Improve our vehicle fleet
4) Optimize transport flows
Supporting our partner farmers to reduce their GHG emissions.
With upstream dairy operations accounting for 82% of our business, we are actively working with our partner farmers to reduce GHG emissions on their farms. That’s why we’ve committed to reducing our Scope 3 FLAG emissions by 30.3% by 2030, compared with 2021.
To achieve this, in 2021 Lactalis launched a major project to define specific roadmaps for reducing upstream dairy emissions in 11 pilot countries, representing 70% of its worldwide milk collection.
2 common actions have been identified in these roadmaps:
· Carrying out carbon audits: Assessing the carbon footprint of 100% of our direct operations at least once every three years, to raise farmers’ awareness of climate change and track progress.
· Developing the skills of our dairy technicians by developing a climate training program (digital + in the field) for 100% of our dairy technicians to ensure they are all able to provide farmers with the best possible technical support to reduce their carbon footprint.
In addition to these two common actions, there are specific projects depending on the context of each country. These projects are:
