Origin Green measures, monitors and drives environmental improvements

Thu, 10 Sep, 2020 - 00:10

This pioneering programme remains the world’s only national food and drink sustainability programme that enables sustainability improvements across the entire supply chain from farmers to manufacturers, to foodservice and retailers.

Operating from farm to fork, Origin Green collaborates with 53,000 farms and over 330 leading Irish food and drink companies to prove and improve the sustainability of the food they produce.

Verified Origin Green members account for 90% of our food and drink exports. By meeting the evolving needs of global customers and consumers, the progamme supports claims that Irish food and drink is sustainably produced.

Origin Green: Supporting sustainable food production

Origin Green has achieved significant results in the last eight years, and this progress has contributed to our ability to face the enormous challenges of recent months. As our food and drink industry continues to navigate the effects of Covid-19, it is clear that issues such as the coronavirus, the imminent developments of Brexit and food security mean that sustainable food production is more important than ever.

Since the launch of Origin Green, the Irish food industry has made concerted progress in driving sustainable food production. Farms that joined the Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme (SBLAS) in 2014 saw an average of 5% reduction in CO2 per unit of beef produced and farms that joined Sustainable Dairy Assurance Scheme (SDAS) in 2014 saw an average of 9% reduction in CO2 per unit of milk produced.

At farm level, there are over 53,000 members of Bord Bia’s Sustainable Assurance Schemes for beef and lamb (92% of beef produced), dairy (95% of milk produced), horticulture (70% of horticulture) and eggs (95% of eggs), which are aligned to Origin Green. Throughout the country, over 100 independent auditors undertake 650 weekly engagements on farm as part of these programmes.

Food manufacturers reduced energy usage by 11% and water usage by 17% per kilo of output. Verified Origin Green members are working towards achieving over 2,400 sustainably targets; a considerable commitment by any measure and one which reaffirms the industry’s commitment to continuous improvement.

11 of the largest foodservice companies and retailers in Ireland are verified members of Origin Green.

Four out of the five major retailers representing 75% of Irish retail are members of the programme and have developed five year sustainability action plans which are reviewed annually. As part of this, 212 sustainability targets have been set.

As we look to the future, the programme aims to build on the considerable results secured over the last eight years and continue to expand the programme across the supply chain of the food and drink sector.

Successful Farm to Fork strategy

The EU Commission’s Farm to Fork strategy includes key policy developments for sustainable agriculture, and aims to make food systems fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly.

Through the Origin Green programme, Ireland is well-positioned to align itself with the actions and objectives of the Farm to Fork strategy as our Quality Assurance schemes for beef and dairy (SBLAS and SDAS) in particular enable us to focus on the sustainable production of agriculture.

The Origin Green Charters for manufacturing, retail and foodservice also ensure that we are able to secure commitments from members for sustainable food processing and retail practices.

In addition to the progress of the last eight years, Origin Green is making continuous changes to the programme that aim to accelerate how we support our members in driving further improvements in greener growing, production and manufacturing to ultimately drive down emissions from the sector.

Bord Bia survey measures carbon footprint

The new Farmer Feedback Report supports farmers in their efforts to farm more sustainably. As part of the Sustainable Assurance Schemes, Bord Bia auditors gather data during the audit process through the Sustainability Survey that enables Bord Bia to assess the environmental performance of quality assured farms via a carbon footprint calculation.

The data gathered is used to generate a Farmer Feedback Report which includes a summary of farm performance under the following headings: General Farm Performance, Carbon Footprint, Greenhouse Gases, Nutrient Management, Grassland Management and Farm Health and Safety.

The purpose of the report is to demonstrate to members how their farm inputs and activities contribute to GHG production. The report contains advice and feedback on how to mitigate against these emissions and improve production efficiencies. The advisory feedback is formulated in collaboration with Teagasc and will focus on measures set out in the Teagasc MACC curve.

A new Origin Green Charter provides further support for food and drink manufacturers, retailers and foodservice companies. New membership tiers provide bespoke supports to members at different levels of their sustainability journey.

A new sustainability credits scoring system, underpinned by the programme’s independent verification, was introduced to recognize those who exceed their targets. Over the coming months, the programme will introduce a higher level of membership for companies excelling in their sustainability performance.

Each year, Origin Green companies that have reached a predetermined higher threshold will be designated as Gold Members of the Origin Green programme and rewarded accordingly.

Looking ahead, the challenges that face the food and drink industry and the increasing importance of sustainable food production are clear. Origin Green will play a central role in maintaining our global leadership in sustainable food production, in an environmentally viable way for today, and tomorrow.