Challenge
How can agricultural organisations raise and track their climate ambitions?
As extreme weather events put pressure on global food systems, unsustainable farming practices, raw materials, and packaging feed into the problem and need to be addressed. Renowned for its bread and baked goods, Grupo Bimbo operates across 34 countries and promises to nourish a better world.
As part of this, the bakery laid out an internal Net Zero strategy to protect global food systems. It also invested in regenerative farming and clean energy, and set science-based targets. Ahead of COP26, the baking business wanted to ensure it had the tools to rise to the Net Zero challenge and revise its climate targets accordingly.
Science-based targets
Science-based targets (SBTs) are globally aligned goals, rooted in climate science, to reduce carbon emissions and limit the world’s temperature in line with the Paris Agreement. These targets show businesses at what scale they need to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming. Scope 1 and 2 targets must align to a 1.5C trajectory, while Scope 3 must align to a well-below 2C pathway.
Meanwhile, a Net Zero target builds on a science-based target to define the long-term actions required for a company to align to a 1.5C pathway.
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A recipe for climate action, measurement, reporting and verification
To move towards Net Zero and track climate progress, multiple ‘ingredients’ need to be added to the mix: accurate carbon footprints, rebaselining, revising climate targets, measuring the impact of carbon reduction initiatives and disclosing its footprint. It requires continuous proof and action. Since 2020, the Carbon Trust works with Grupo Bimbo to realise its Net Zero strategy. As part of this we:
Updated Grupo Bimbo’s 2019 baseline footprint after the baker received more accurate carbon data. Following this, we verified the company’s full value chain emissions (Scope 1, 2 and 3) for 2019-2021 in line with ISO 14064-3 to make sure accurate comparisons can be drawn.
Assured Grupo Bimbo’s water reuse verification under ISAE 3000 and completed a gap analysis of its waste reduction strategy.
Engaged and upskilled Grupo Bimbo’s staff. Training sessions focused on Scope 3 data collection, carbon footprinting and Grupo Bimbo’s carbon reduction initiatives.
Advised on CDP disclosures so Grupo Bimbo can communicate its climate efforts and progress to investors.
Quantified the impact of Grupo Bimbo’s regenerative farming initiatives on its footprint. Since wheat is the largest source of emissions, we calculated to what extent these initiatives would support Grupo Bimbo’s Net Zero progress.
Worked with Grupo Bimbo to submit its revised targets to the Science Based Targets initiative. Here we helped garner evidence ahead of submission.
In its updated submission to the Science Based Targets initiative, Grupo Bimbo commits to the following near-term targets:
- Reduce absolute Scope 1 emissions by 50% by 2030 from a 2019 base year.
- Increase its renewable electricity sources from 42% in 2019 to 100% by 2025.
- Reduce its absolute Scope 3 emissions by 28% by 2030 from a 2019 base year.
Impact
Driving climate action with integrity and transparency
Every step of Grupo Bimbo’s planning and measuring refers back to the company’s Net Zero strategy. By tackling Net Zero from multiple angles and measuring its progress in line with international standards, Grupo Bimbo can accurately track its climate progress. In tandem, the global bakery was able to:
Revise its science-based targets to reflect Grupo Bimbo's growing ambition and commit to Net Zero. In 2021, the Science Based Targets initiative approved the company’s new near-term targets.
Through the independent verification, Grupo Bimbo seeks to strengthen its environmental transparency and performance on climate change and water security. In 2022 alone, the company was able reuse 63% of water.
Make Net Zero a group-wide effort. Through the training sessions, Grupo Bimbo was able to build internal capacity and ensure that everyone understands the Group’s Net Zero strategy.
Expand the regenerative agriculture project that began in 2018 thanks to the impact assessments of its pilot projects. In conjunction with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, Grupo Bimbo completed the fourth cycle of these projects in 2022. This helped to further reduce the baker's carbon and water footprints while increasing resource efficiency.
To nourish a better world, we need to farm with nature rather than against it. As Net Zero requires continuous assessment and action, we value the Carbon Trust’s guidance. Through it, we can monitor and verify the impact of our carbon reduction efforts to ensure we stay on track
