Within the framework of the Environment Month, Marfrig, one of the largest beef companies in the world, reaffirms its commitment to sustainability by launching a carbon footprint measurement tool. This innovation is part of the program of activities that the company carries out with its cattle suppliers.

 

The system will be available from July 1 to all farmers in the country, who by using a simple application will be able to upload their data and obtain environmental indicators that will allow them to optimize their production while minimizing the impact of their actions on the environmental footprint.

 

In turn, the platform offers, through the same application, the possibility of visualizing and monitoring values ​​over time and comparing the results of operations with other similar production systems. This innovative solution was devised in conjunction with the companies Climit, specialized in ​​climate change and carbon footprint estimation, and Inzol, an expert in digitizing manufacturing, maintenance, and logistics processes. The combination of this knowledge is essential to find the best way to measure and mitigate the environmental impact generated by livestock, incorporating the best available technology in each link in the chain. Furthermore, Marfrig will provide all its producers with a tool developed based on internationally validated regulations and adapted to the realities of each country.

​

“The commitment to caring for the environment is part of our DNA as a company. We permanently seek to achieve excellence in production without neglecting the planet. As an immediate objective, we intend to reach the measurement of more than one million hectares and consequently continue working on capturing value for our meats”, said Marcelo Secco, CEO of Marfrig.

 

The presentation of this new tool was attended by the Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries (MGAP), Fernando Mattos; the Minister of the Environment, Adrián Peña; the undersecretary of the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining (MIEM), Walter Verri; the Secretary of the Presidency, Álvaro Delgado, the CEO of Climit, Agustín Inthamoussu; and Federico Martino, partner of Inzol.

 

The authorities present agreed that this tool demonstrates that Marfrig is at the forefront in caring for the environment, while positioning Uruguay in an international leadership role in the matter. Minister Peña said that this tool represents a milestone for the productive system and for the protection of the environment, managing to “take cattle out of focus as a problem in terms of climate change and mark that Uruguay is part of the solution and not of the problem. ”. In addition, he reported that this initiative goes hand in hand with the tool for Measuring the Environmental Footprint of Livestock Production Systems, developed together with the MGAP and the national institutes of Agricultural Research (INIA), Meat (INAC) and the Milk (INALE). Meanwhile, Mattos pointed out that “the pillars of this project are fundamentally based on an aspect of trust. For the country, this is an opportunity to demonstrate the added value, environmental and social, of its own production scheme”. The minister congratulated the company for this initiative, which "adds a lot" to the government's work, since "we can design the best framework but, ultimately, it is the entrepreneurs and private companies who have to take on the challenges to achieve these goals." For his part, Verri highlighted the importance of a company "leading in Uruguay and in the world in the production of our main exportable product", taking the initiative to carry out sustainable production processes that follow environmental standards. “In some way, this challenges those of us who have to draw up government policy on climate change,” he considered. In his turn, Delgado recognized Marfrig as "an innovative company in the certification of land and production processes, with an important business responsibility."

 

Regarding the tool, Martino indicated that “it provides Marfrig with an overview of how the Uruguayan meat production system is doing and based on that, it can make commercial decisions. This is the way. We are sure that any producer who wants to manage their production in a more sustainable and environmentally friendly way will have an option with this tool”. 

 

In addition, it was announced that as the next stage of the project, other indicators such as biodiversity and water footprint, among others, will be incorporated, which will allow the measurement of carbon footprint to be extended to the comprehensive concept of environmental footprint.

 

The environmental footprint is a multicriteria indicator of environmental impact that reflects the consequences of human and business activity on the environment from the perspective of the entire life cycle. It allows improving competitiveness and efficiency, mitigating environmental risks, optimizing opportunities, and reducing global environmental impact, contributing to compliance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and promoting the transition towards a circular economy model.