Pathway to carbon neutral in the Australian almond industry
Hort Innovation & the Almond Board of Australia
The Challenge
The Australian almond industry is aware of increasing consumer and customer scrutiny of emissions associated with the production of food. To proactively address concerns associated with almond production, the industry sought to not only calculate its emissions but create a toolkit for growers and processors to measure their emissions ongoing and understand effective methods for reducing the emissions of their product.
Key Deliverables
A Guide for Industry to Understand and Reduce Emissions intensity of Almond Production
User-friendly Tool for Calculating Grower and Processor Emissions
Webinars and Other Communications to Spread Awareness of Reducing Emissions
A Guide for Industry to Understand and Reduce Emissions intensity of Almond Production
User-friendly Tool for Calculating Grower and Processor Emissions
Webinars and Other Communications to Spread Awareness of Reducing Emissions
The Approach
Edge Impact designed a project that created widespread awareness of the technicalities of emissions in almond production, while fostering industry adoption of the toolkit.
Working closely with the Almond Board of Australia and Hort Innovation, Edge conducted widespread industry engagement to understand the exact processes driving emissions in almond production and compared this to international examples.
Edge then used industry data to calculate the actual emissions associated with almond production in Australia, as a lifecycle assessment. This included the emissions, and the waste and water use associated, to create a true image of the environmental impacts associated with growing and processing almonds.
Once a clear image of the impacts had been identified, Edge worked closely with the industry to understand the most effective ways to reduce the impacts based on current innovative practices, international examples of practice change and where lessons could be learnt from other industries.
Edge used these insights to produce a mitigation action plan, designed to inform and inspire the industry towards low emissions almond production. This was published in industry branding and is a simple, effective communication tool for the industry.
In addition to identifying the best methods for reducing emissions, Edge built an excel-based tool for the industry to use to calculate emissions on an ongoing basis, to ensure growers and processors are equipped with the data to drive decision making.
The Result
The almond industry is equipped with the data, the know-how and the tools to measure and communicate its impact.
Sustainability isn’t a comfortable word for a lot of Australian producers, because it means something different in every type of production and in every state.
This project was about equipping growers and processors with the knowledge and confidence to think about the sustainability of their methods and giving them the tools to reduce their negative impacts, while reducing costs and inefficiencies in their business.
As a result, growers and processors are empowered to talk about the actual sustainability of their operations.
The Australian almond industry has a benchmark for its emissions, to inspire ongoing progress in reducing emissions in a way that promotes the growth and prosperity of the industry.
Explore the User Guide and Online Portal.
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