NETHERLANDS – McDonald’s and FrieslandCampina have initiated a new collaborative effort aimed at accelerating the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the production of dairy supplied to McDonald’s restaurants in the Netherlands and Belgium.
The collaboration contributes to the reward of member dairy farms for their efforts, which will result in a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 14% by 2025, compared to 2019.
According to Roger Loo, president of professional and trading at FrieslandCampina, the dairy cooperative seeks to measure and track its progress in terms of sustainability goals and driving improvement.
He noted that the partnership with McDonald’s means it can continue to support and reward its member dairy farmers for their efforts in relation to climate and biodiversity.
“FrieslandCampina, a dairy cooperative, comprises 15,137 dairy farmer members across the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany,” he said.
“The collaboration with McDonald’s will help measure and track progress toward sustainability goals related to climate and biodiversity. It aims to reward dairy farmers for their efforts in reducing GHG emissions.”
FrieslandCampina is a crucial supplier to McDonald’s, providing essential dairy ingredients for menu items like McFlurry, Sundae, Milkshakes, and meat replacers such as Valess.
The collaboration builds on a relationship that has spanned over 30 years, extending its focus to reduce the carbon footprint associated with dairy production.
The approach of forming partnerships is recognized as vital to accelerating on-farm carbon footprint reduction.
Joost Elshof, Director of Supply Chain at McDonald’s Netherlands, placed the collaboration with FrieslandCampina in McDonald’s broader ambitions in the field of climate.
“Climate change is an environmental issue of our time. McDonald’s therefore wants to work with all its partners and suppliers throughout the chain on innovative solutions that limit the negative impact on the climate,” he highlighted.
“With this extra dimension within our already great collaboration with FrieslandCampina, we come closer to our emission reduction goals of 2030 and our overall ambition to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Investing in our chain in this way fits within the sustainability path that we as McDonald’s have taken.”
Additionally, Roger Loo underscored that the partnership with McDonald’s represented an extension of their existing collaboration, focusing on climate and sustainability goals.
“By working together to accelerate GHG emissions reduction in the dairy supply chain, we aim to inspire others within the industry to follow suit and contribute to a more sustainable future.”
This collaboration also aligns with FrieslandCampina’s other initiatives, such as partnering with Mondelz International to reduce GHG emissions from milk supplied to the chocolate and biscuit producer.
