How ‘insetting’ helps food companies cut Scope 3 emissions red tape

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🗞️ Driving the news: Food companies like Mars, General Mills, and Nutrien are investing in “insetting” to reduce their Scope 3 emissions by funding supply-chain sustainability projects
• Despite growing adoption, challenges remain in accounting for these emissions reductions
• Industry groups are working to clarify guidelines, with multiple organisations issuing Scope 3 credits

🔭 The context: Insetting allows companies to claim emissions reductions by supporting interventions within their supply chain, such as regenerative agriculture or methane-reducing feed additives
• SustainCERT, a key player in this space, has verified 32 interventions, while new entrants like Athian and Proba are expanding the market
• However, complexities in tracking supply-chain emissions and qualifying investments remain hurdles

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Agriculture is a major emitter, particularly through methane from livestock and fertiliser use
 • Insetting could drive systemic change by incentivising sustainable farming practices
• Scaling these interventions could make emissions reductions more achievable for food companies facing pressure to meet climate targets

⏭️ What's next: Uncertainty in carbon accounting rules, particularly from the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and Science Based Targets Initiative, may slow wider adoption
• Efforts like the Advanced and Indirect Mitigation Platform, backed by Amazon and ClimeCo, aim to create standardised insetting frameworks
• Companies are pushing forward despite regulatory delays, showing strong industry commitment

💬 One quote: "Insetting is in what I call the ‘teenage sex moment’—there’s so much talk but there isn’t a whole lot of action." – Jeffrey Yorzyk, Senior Director for Sustainability, HelloFresh

📈 One stat: Athian has issued its first Scope 3 credits and has contracts to distribute $9 million to producers

See here detailed sustainability performance of companies like Amazon, HelloFresh, Mars, General Mills, and Nutrien

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