Arla Foods UK has signed new partnerships with Aldi, Asda, Morrisons and Starbucks to share its climate data, as it looks to accelerate progress on its sustainability targets.
According to The Grocer, the climate data – sourced from the milk brand’s existing on-farm sustainability initiatives – is designed to offer ‘more accurate reporting’ of their emissions.
By working with Arla and its farmers, the four retailers would also have “the opportunity to reduce emissions faster”, Arla said.
All farms in the scheme produce milk as part of Arla’s Climate Check data programme and Sustainability Incentive Model – which enables farmers to identify and then implement the most efficient ways to reduce emissions.
They achieve this through data insights and financial incentives.
The new Customer Sustainability Program covers a total milk pool in excess of 1.1 billion litres, representing just under 9% of Arla’s UK milk output.
Arla hopes to attract other retail partners onto the scheme in the future, where retail partners will also be able to claim CO2e reductions as part of their ESG targets.
In August, Arla Foods lowered its annual revenue expectations due to milk falling in price, as supermarkets see greater demand for own-label dairy products amid the cost-of-living crisis.
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Arla Foods Europe COO and executive VP, Peter Giørtz-Carlsen told The Grocer: “Driving down scope 3 emissions is another way of bringing value to our customers, and we want to be a strategic partner for them in that journey,”
“Dairy is an important category for our retail and foodservice customers, and for some of them, emissions from dairy constitute a significant part of their scope 3 emissions.”
Currently, this translated into increased interest in entering into partnerships, which Arla welcomed, he added. “Our scope 3 leadership also provides us with new commercial and strategic opportunities for our milk pool.”
Last month, Sainsbury’s switched from use-by dates to best-before dates across its own-brand milk range in a bid to reduce food waste.
