Meiji Holdings, DSM-Firmenich collaborate to enhance dairy sustainability in Japan

JAPAN – DSM-Firmenich, renowned for its innovations in health, nutrition, and beauty, has joined forces with Meiji Holdings Co., Ltd., a prominent Asian dairy company headquartered in Japan, in a pioneering move to enhance the sustainability of Japanese dairy farming.

The collaboration, marked by a Memorandum of Understanding, marks the first of its kind in Asia and aims to introduce Bovaer, a scientifically proven solution, to mitigate methane emissions from livestock.

Methane, a potent greenhouse gas predominantly produced in the digestive tracts of cows, poses a significant environmental challenge in the dairy sector.

Through the adoption of Bovaer, methane emissions can be curtailed by approximately 30% for dairy cattle and 45% for beef feedlot cattle, offering a promising avenue for reducing the sector’s carbon footprint.

Japan’s commitment to the Global Methane Pledge, targeting a 30% reduction in absolute methane emissions by 2030, underscores the urgency of addressing emissions from the agricultural sector, which accounts for over 80% of methane emissions domestically.

By potentially implementing Bovaer across the dairy and beef cattle segments, comprising over 1 million dairy cows and 3 million beef cattle, the collaboration seeks to contribute significantly to Japan’s emission reduction goals.

Mark van Nieuwland, Vice President of Bovaer at DSM-Firmenich, expressed enthusiasm about extending Bovaer’s reach into Asia and collaborating with Meiji HD to explore its implementation in the Japanese dairy sector.

“We are excited to expand the use of Bovaer into Asia. I’m looking forward to working with Meiji HD to explore how to implement Bovaer in the Japanese dairy sector and particularly in the Meiji HD supply chain. Preparation works will start now, while we await local market authorization.”

While awaiting local market authorization, preparations are underway to pave the way for the deployment of this innovative solution.

Meanwhile, DSM-Firmenich has forged a strategic partnership with Deloitte to unlock new opportunities in sustainability across the animal protein value chain.

This collaboration is set to leverage DSM-Firmenich’s Sustell life cycle assessment (LCA) platform alongside Deloitte’s consulting prowess to facilitate the adoption of sustainable practices throughout the agri-food ecosystem.

David Nickell, Vice President of Sustainability and Business Solutions at DSM-Firmenich, hailed the partnership as a pivotal milestone in their sustainability journey, emphasizing its potential to drive transformative change across the animal protein value chain.

Jorg Schalekamp, Partner at Deloitte, echoed this sentiment, highlighting Sustell as a leading solution for environmental accountability and affirming Deloitte’s commitment to amplifying its impact across the supply chain.

“Sustell stands out as the industry-leading solution for environmental accountability. We will play a key role in driving adoption and ensuring solutions like Sustell achieve their full impact potential to deliver value across the full supply chain, from feed to farm to fork.”

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