FrieslandCampina and Mondelēz International have signed a four-year agreement aiming to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of milk supplied by FrieslandCampina’s member dairy farmers by ≈14% in 2025 compared to 2019. The milk is among others used as an ingredient for the production of Mondelēz International’s chocolate and biscuit products in Europe. Both companies believe that partnerships are important to make progress and further accelerate carbon reduction.

Sanne Griffioen-Roose, director Farm Sustainability FrieslandCampina, stated, “Together with our member dairy farmers, we are working towards producing net climate-neutral dairy by 2050 at the latest. FrieslandCampina’s approach is to measure, act and monitor. We are excited to partner with Mondelēz International, because by collaborating with them we can reward our farmers for their hard work and realised greenhouse gas reductions while also investing in programmes to continuously improve sustainability at the farms.”

Vanessa Harrer, senior director Marketing and Sustainability Mondelēz Europe, said, “Dairy ingredients are important components for our well-known chocolate, biscuit and cheese brands, such as Milka, Cadbury Dairy Milk and Philadelphia and play a role in our sustainability strategy, which was recently named the company's fourth strategic pillar. Therefore, we are proud to invest in a strong partnership in Europe to work closely with our dairy supplier FrieslandCampina, encouraging and supporting their initiatives to measure greenhouse gas reductions and take action to reduce, track and report carbon emissions.”

The collaboration not only aims to help accelerate existing efforts to reduce carbon emissions in the dairy supply chain, but is also expected to inspire other companies to join and share best practices.

Measuring sustainable farming practices

Dairy farmers can take a number of measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on their farms and to combat climate change. Implementing good agricultural practices, such as minimising waste in the feed cycle, minimising tillage of the soil, and using local protein sources are all potential strategies for reducing emissions. FrieslandCampina’s member dairy farmers can also generate their own renewable energy, which is subsequently used on the FrieslandCampina’s production sites.

Data driven approach

FrieslandCampina uses the Annual Nutrient Cycling Assessment to track progress resulting from sustainable farming practices. This monitoring tool is used by almost 10,000 FrieslandCampina member dairy farms and gives farm specific insights, such as the size of the carbon footprint and biodiversity indicators. Under the Foqus planet Sustainable development programme, member dairy farmers receive financial premiums on the basis of their results on climate, biodiversity, pasture grazing, animal health and animal welfare. Members have prior insight into what certain sustainability results at the farm yield financially.