Reducing Barry Callebaut's carbon footprint across its supply chain is a key target in its Forever Chocolate plan, and dairy is an important piece of this puzzle. Dairy products are a key ingredient in many of its chocolate products and it is also one of the major contributors to its corporate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions footprint. 

The use of animal feed additives, like Agolin, is widely recognized to reduce methane emissions in dairy cattle. However, in the past, there was no way to credibly verify this and thus assess the actual level of CO₂ reduction within the company's supply chain.

Its VisionDairy Charter outlines its mission to source milk in the most sustainable way possible. As part of this work, Barry Callebaut teamed up with Agolin and Gold Standard in a pilot study to develop a methodology to quantify CO₂ emission reduction in dairy cattle as a result of feed additives.

Closing a gap in CO₂ accounting

Studies took place in two locations: the Netherlands and the U.S. The interventions were targeted at dairy farms that supply the processors where we source dairy products.

Barry Callebaut collaborated with Gold Standard (GS), whose work centers on developing credible impact quantification, to develop a methodology to measure and substantiate CO2 emission reduction in the dairy cattle involved in the study.

In the Netherlands, 47 dairy farms took part in the study covering a total of approximately 7,600 cows. Using the methodology we developed with GS, it was verified that Agolin reduced 1,200 MT of CO₂e between March and August 2020.

In the US study, 18 farms with around 7,600 cows in total participated. The GS methodology confirmed a reduction of roughly 500 MT of CO₂e by the end of August 2020.

For the very first time, Barry Callebaut now has a credible way to assess and certify CO2 insetting for the dairy producers within its chocolate supply chain. 

And this is just the beginning of its journey. The company is now looking to scale up this type of work with the farmers and dairy suppliers it already works with, while also turning to new regions to extend the reduction in CO₂ from feed additives for dairy cattle in its supply chains.

"I am very pleased that we have been able to develop a methodology with Gold Standard and Agolin to credibly quantify and certify CO₂ reductions. This closes an important gap and provides a great basis for us to scale up this work with our partners," says Oliver von Hagen, director of sustainability global ingredients at Barry Callebaut Group.