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A British farmer has created what reports describe as the first carbon and plastic neutral food product.
Duncan Farrington, who makes cold-pressed rapeseed oil, partnered the United Nations Climate Neutral Now Initiative, the Woodland Trust, and rePurpose Global, so he could remove the same amount of plastic and carbon needed to make and house his product as he used in its creation and packaging.
He planted trees to capture carbon from the air, increased the quality of his soil, so it can sequester carbon, and will be setting up solar panels. Through his partnership with rePurpose Global, he facilitates the removal and recycling of plastic so it doesn’t end up in landfill.
‘World’s first carbon-neutral farm’
“Our oil is the world’s first food product to achieve both these sustainable accreditations and we couldn’t be more excited. We have always placed huge importance on the environment, farming sustainably to ensure the countryside around us and the soils we grow our crops in are nurtured and thrive,” said the company.
“We installed solar panels to power our oil presses and plant wildflower areas to provide food and habitats for pollinating insects, but we knew there was still more we could do. Working with the United Nations, we reduced our carbon emissions and offset the remainder by supporting reforestation initiatives and green energy schemes.
“This means we are carbon neutral 30 years ahead of the UK target. We also partnered with @repurpose_global to support the collection and recycling of plastic waste around the world, making the Farrington’s Mellow Yellow range plastic neutral. As the producer of the world’s first carbon and plastic neutral food products, we have made fantastic progress towards a more sustainable future for our planet.”
Farming becoming carbon neutral by 2040
The National Farmers Union revealed its aspirations for the UK to become carbon-neutral by 2040 at the Oxford Farming Conference in January 2019, with President Minette Batters saying ‘British farmers are committed to greater action on climate change’.
“The NFU recognises the urgency of tackling climate change, and farmers are more than ready to take on the challenge and play our part. Beyond minimising our industry’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as far as possible, our ambition is to create a balance using ‘negative emissions’ from a variety of sources across the whole of agricultural production and land use by 2040, in the context of a changing climate,” she said in a statement.
“The agricultural industry is looking to government and other stakeholders to act with us and help us deliver against this ambition, through concerted and robust action. Together, we aim to build a sustainable, competitive and profitable UK farm sector fit for the 21st century.”
