Climate Action 2011-2012

special Feature
BRF
Sustainability from the farm to
the table
26 climateactionprogramme.org
BRF is one of the largest food companies in the world. Our
vision is that to be truly sustainable, we need to bring with us
the entire value chain – which in our case involves thousands
of producers of grain, poultry, pork and beef, in addition to
a range of different suppliers. A good example of this is the
Sustainable Hog Culture Program, established to reduce the
impacts of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, as well as to
arouse the environmental awareness of our rural producers.
Today, BRF has more than 3,500 pork producers, most
of them small farmers. The project consists of installing
biodigesters on the farms where the animal waste is
produced. The methane gas generated – which is 21 times
more polluting than CO 2
– is captured, and the waste
transformed at the end of the process into a high quality
biofertiliser. A quantity of biogas is also produced, which
may be used for heating and power generation.
The programme was framed in the form of a Clean
Development Mechanism (CDM) project, and thus generates
carbon credits. The whole process of registration, validation and
commercialisation of these credits is carried out by BRF, but
the entire revenue from the sale of them is returned to farmers.
The challenges
The first challenge was to convince the producers to become
involved in the project. The vast majority had never heard
anything about the Kyoto Protocol, and even less about
the CDM or carbon credits. Earlier, some had doubts
about the benefits of installing the digester, which requires
investment from farmers and finance from the company.
Gradually the message spread about the advantages of the
project, and participation by the producers has exceeded
our expectations. Currently, more than 1,300 farms are
committed to the programme, representing a reduction in
emissions of about 140,000 tonnes of CO 2
.
© Guilherme Dalmazo
A second challenge was that we had to develop the
appropriate technology from scratch. There were no digesters
that met our needs, and no effective mechanisms to measure
the amount of gas captured. BRF sought partners and
together we developed the necessary equipment.
Another difficulty has been a change in the methodology
of the Clean Developmental Mechanism, which has made
projects more expensive than expected and reduced the
amount of gas to be captured.
Changes in criteria and the costs of external audit are just
some of the challenges faced by companies that have followed
this path. These difficulties are even greater in the local
business context. One of the aims of the programme was to
give small producers access to the carbon market; this would
be virtually impossible without the support of the company.
Through this programme, we offer the opportunity for
our pork producers to gain alternative sources of income, as
well as making substantial reductions in emissions. Many
producers already sell the biofertiliser. Others gain by the use
of biogas for energy generation in their properties.
In addition, all resources from the sale of carbon credits
should be compulsorily invested in the sustainability of farms.
With this programme we are taking an important
step to encourage the concept of sustainability in food
production, which is the foundation of our business and an
important economic sector in Brazil where our company
is headquartered. We hope that our model becomes an
example to others in the industry, demonstrating that our
country can increase production in a cleaner way.
Kristhian Kaminski, Communication Manager, BRF
Rua Hungria, 1400 – Jardim Europa, São Paulo, Brazil
Tel: +55 11 2322 5062 | Email: Kristhian.kaminski@brasilfoods.com
Web: www.brasilfoods.com
© Archive BRF