French fries manufacturer McCain wants to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The company announced this last week with the presentation of the '2020 Global Sustainability Report Summary'. But McCain can't do it alone. Other partners in the chain are also involved in the climate ambitions.
According to estimates, food production will need to increase by 70% by 2050 to meet the demand of the growing world population. Meanwhile, climate change is disrupting harvests, leading to uncertainty in the chain, higher (harvest) losses and an uncertain future for many farmers. Science and technology are making progress, but yields per hectare are stagnating or becoming unpredictable, McCain says in the sustainability report.
Sustainable growers
Regenerative/sustainable agriculture is therefore essential for the future according to the potato processor. To achieve this, McCain wants to collaborate with many other parties. “That starts with our commitment to invest in our knowledge of sustainable agricultural practices and their impact, costs and benefits.” McCain's ambition is that all potatoes the company processes are grown sustainably. In addition, the company wants to help farmers reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 25%.
Other McCain goals include switching to 100% electricity from renewable sources, phasing out coal-based energy at all factories, using fully recyclable, reusable or biodegradable packaging and investing in sustainable energy generation at all factories.
Scientific substantiation
McCain's emissions reduction plan and targets have been reviewed and approved by Science Based Targets, a partnership between the United Nations, industry and NGOs aimed at implementing the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 1,5°C hold. "By having our goals checked on a scientific basis, McCain is assured that measures taken actually contribute to solving the climate problem," said Max Koeune, CEO of McCain, in an explanation of the report.