Marfrig –  the worldwide leader in the production of hamburgers and one of the largest beef protein companies in the world – had its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), which were submitted last year. Marfrig is the only Brazilian company in the beef protein industry in the Americas to have its targets approved and to commit to restrict the global temperature rise to up to 1.5ºC 

Marfrig’s targets are: 

• Scopes 1 and 2 entail reducing the absolute emissions (tCO2e) of greenhouse gas emissions in 68% (base year 2019) by 2035. Scope 1 includes direct emissions resulting from the production process, a result of the transformation of raw material into products. Scope 2 takes into account the indirect emissions associated with the use of electrical or thermal energies that the company uses in its operations.  

• Scope 3 aims to reduce the intensity of the emissions (tCO2e/head) by 33% (2019 year base) by 2035. This scope includes methane gas emitted from enteric fermentation in cattle.  

• And to increase the use of renewable energy from 27% in 2019, to 100% by 2030. 

SBTi is an international initiative that mobilizes companies to develop science-based targets for reducing GHG emissions, aligned with the necessary efforts to limit global warming. It is made up of the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute (WRI) and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). 

“Marfrig has been developing and implementing actions to match production with socio-environmental respect over a decade. The answer of SBTi acknowledges our work and the better signaling that our journey is based on robust science-based work, which is the best path towards sustainability”, said Paulo Pianez, Director for Sustainability and Corporate Communications of Marfrig. “Our major challenge is in scope 3 (emissions of methane by cattle), which accounts for 98% of all Marfrig’s emissions”, Pianez states. 

Low-carbon cattle farming 

Marfrig has been implementing several actions towards reaching the targets validated by the SBTi. In order to achieve the targets in scopes 1 and 2, Marfrig is changing its energy matrix by purchasing electricity from renewable sources. One example is the replacement of fuel in the boiler in its operation in the United States (National Beef). In the United States, the company uses biogas as fuel for the boilers. This gas is produced from such organic waste as cattle manure, and helps reduce the emissions in scope 1, because methane generates a volume 28 times greater than the greenhouse effect than CO2. 

In Brazil, we also use equipment with better energy efficiency to replace oil boilers, using renewable sources such as wood and wood chips from reforestation.  

In order to attain the target in scope 3, Marfrig’s efforts are directed to increasing the procurement of animals from low-CO2 emission production systems (such as those that integrate agriculture, livestock and forestry). The company also uses animal nutrition for a considerable reduction of emissions from enteric fermentation. Another path for innovation is genetic improvement, allowing the animals to develop rapidly, and attain a greater production effectiveness, which reduces the volume of GHG emissions into the atmosphere.​