Barry Callebaut, Arla Foods launch three-year low-carbon dairy partnership
The partnership will provide farm-level carbon data and support decarbonisation initiatives across Barry Callebaut’s dairy supply chain, beginning with UK-sourced skimmed milk powder.
UK – Barry Callebaut has launched its first dairy partnership focused on reducing climate emissions, joining forces with Arla Foods through the FarmAhead™ Customer Partnership programme.
The three-year collaboration will begin with skimmed milk powder sourced from the UK and forms part of Barry Callebaut’s efforts to reduce Scope 3 emissions across its dairy supply chain. Under the partnership, Arla will provide annual primary carbon footprint data linked to dairy volumes supplied to Barry Callebaut at farm level. (Barry Callebaut)
The companies said the data will support the rollout of decarbonisation initiatives on farms within their shared supply chain while improving transparency around dairy-related emissions.
Tilmann Silber, Head of Net Zero at Barry Callebaut, said: “Decarbonizing dairy is essential to reducing our carbon footprint, and this partnership is a testament to our commitment to driving meaningful progress on our Net Zero journey.”
He added that working with Arla would help Barry Callebaut “increase transparency in our dairy supply chain and accelerate the development of scalable decarbonization initiatives” supporting its Scope 3 reduction targets.
The partnership includes primary farm-level carbon footprint reporting, alignment with recognised greenhouse gas and dairy carbon methodologies, and incentive payments for farmers implementing practices designed to reduce emissions.
Gabriela Aramayo, Responsible Sourcing Lead Dairy at Barry Callebaut, said dairy was one of the most complex categories to reduce carbon footprint and that meaningful progress required collaboration across the value chain.
“What makes this initiative particularly important is the ability to connect climate ambition with concrete action at farm level through long-term engagement with suppliers and farmers,” Aramayo said.
Barry Callebaut said the initiative will contribute to its Net Zero roadmap and broader Net Zero Chocolate Solutions, which are designed to help customers reduce the end-to-end footprint of cocoa and chocolate products through targeted partnerships.
Cathrine Konge Varming, Senior Director Sustainability Innovation & Development at Arla, said the partnership would support actions by Arla’s farmer owners while providing Barry Callebaut with data for its emissions reporting.
“We are pleased to work closely together with Barry Callebaut on our shared goal to reduce emissions from dairy,” Varming said. “It is a clear example of two ambitious companies living up to their responsibility and recognising the importance of collaboration.”
Barry Callebaut said the partnership is its first initiative focused on reducing on-farm dairy emissions and incentivising farmers, creating a framework for future collaborations with suppliers.
The company said the initiative will also support customers seeking to achieve their own climate targets by developing measurable lower-carbon dairy sourcing solutions.
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