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Net-zero by 2050: International agreement reached by aviation sector
Following two weeks of negotiations between 184 nations, an international agreement to bring the aviation sector’s emissions to net-zero by 2050 has been struck. Read more
Dairy giant Arla to pay farmers more for milk if they cut emissions
The UK’s largest dairy cooperative is launching a new incentive scheme for farmers, which will see them paid more if they can prove they’re reducing waste, cutting emissions and improving animal welfare.
Announced 7 October, Arla’s sustainability incentive scheme will see dairy farmers paid up to three European cents more per kilogram of milk they deliver. This is in addition to a one-cent-per-kilogram incentive already on offer for suppliers who submit emissions data to Arla.
Arla expects that it will cost up to €500m extra per year to run the expanded incentive scheme and the business will be taking this money from profits. It believes it is the first large international dairy firm to introduce such a scheme.
The incentive model is a points-based system, in which farmers are scored based on the steps they’re taking on a number of different issues, including renewable electricity procurement; good manure management; efficient fertiliser use; sustainable and efficient feed use; converting manure into biogas; improving biodiversity on farms and addressing deforestation in feed supply chains. Read more
John Lewis Partnership unveils ‘plan for nature’ including landmark net-zero farm pilot project
John Lewis Partnership has today (4 October) published sweeping new plans to protect and restore nature, including piloting a net-zero farm by 2024 and applying those changes across supplier farms by 2035.
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Nestlé pledges one billion Swiss francs for coffee supply chain sustainability
Nestlé, through its largest coffee brand Nescafe, has outlined new plans to improve coffee farmers’ livelihoods and support them to adopt regenerative agriculture, backed with a commitment of CHF1bn.
Called Nescafe Plan 2030, the strategy has been created in recognition of the systemic socioeconomic challenges facing coffee-growing communities and the coffee supply chain’s exposure to climate risks. The Inter-American Development bank is forecasting that, by 2050, there will be up to 50% less land suitable for growing coffee than there is today, due to climate change.
The Plan sets an ambition for one-fifth of the coffee sourced by Nescafe to come from farms implementing regenerative practices by 2025, rising to 50% by 2030. Farmers in seven key regions, which collectively account for 90% of the business’s coffee sourcing, will be supported to implement changes: Brazil, Vietnam, Mexico, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Indonesia and Honduras. Read more
‘Right Now Climate Fund’: Amazon pledges £2.8m for UK nature projects
Amazon has committed the first funding for UK-based projects through its ‘Right Now Climate Fund’, outlining plans to rewild parts of London and improve nature access across the UK.
The e-commerce giant first launched the €100m fund in 2019 with the intention of supporting “immediate actions” that have co-benefits for climate and nature. These actions include the conservation, restoration and creation of forests, green spaces, wetlands and peatlands.
Subsequently, in the latter half of 2021, Amazon confirmed that one-fifth of the fund would be allocated in Europe. Today (3 October), it has confirmed plans for the first UK-based projects it will support through the Fund, with a total of £2.85m of backing.
In Greater London, Amazon will provide £750,000 to the London Wildlife Trust’s ‘Rewild London’ fund. Rewilding involves reinstating natural processes to landscapes and habitats that have deteriorated, providing a home for flora and fauna. Read more
DPD to support WWF’s seagrass restoration project
Parcel delivery firm DPD has issued support for WWF’s climate-battling seagrass restoration project, which aims to capture and store carbon in a bid to help the UK reach its net-zero targets.
DPD has donated £40,000 from the firm’s innovative Eco Fund to help WWF’s Seagrass Ocean Rescue, a collaboration with Swansea University and Project Seagrass. The project, located in the Solent, aims to restore 15% of seagrass meadows across the UK by 2030.
Seagrass meadows are viewed as a unique yet crucial response to the climate crisis, with research suggesting they can absorb carbon up to 35 times faster than a rainforest.
Climate change and manmade pollution are currently placing these meadows at risk. Coastal protection is largely provided by saltmarshes and seagrass beds. Yet the UK has already lost up to 92% of its seagrass in the last century and 85% of its saltmarsh. Read more
