The Suntory Group recently announced it has a new initiative that looks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by using UK-grown barley that’s a product of regenerative agriculture practices.
The project will begin in 2023 as a collaboration with UK-based malt supplier Muntons, sustainable agriculture and supply chain consultancy Future Food Solutions, and local barley farmers in the East Anglia region.
The goal? To produce barley with 50 percent lower greenhouse gas emissions within five years.
A statement from the Suntory Group explains that an estimated quarter of the earth’s greenhouse emissions come from agriculture and forestry.
The group’s estimates note that agricultural raw ingredients make up about 20 percent of the total greenhouse gas emissions across the company’s entire value chain. Barley, one of the main ingredients for the company’s products, plays a role in this.
The project starts by baselining all crop-related emissions, which will inform a nature-based program of interventions that look to reduce harmful emissions. It will then enhance soil health and protect water, while maintaining crop performance and grain quality.
The quality of the barley grown under this project will be evaluated by Suntory Spirits, Beam Suntory and other group companies, and later be examined for its contribution to the group’s goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions across the entire value chain by 2050.
Researchers have determined that regenerative agriculture is a sustainable farming method that reduces dependency on chemical fertilizers and pesticides through the use of cover crops and no-till farming.
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It can lower greenhouse gas emissions, and increase soil biodiversity. In turn, this can improve soil fertility and water retention, leading to sustainable use of agricultural land.
Brian Golden, senior general manager at Suntory MONOZUKURI Initiative, said, “Thriving agricultural systems is crucial to our business and we place regenerative agriculture as one of the core solutions in transitioning to sustainable agricultural practices. We will further our collaboration with various supply chain partners to procure more sustainably and to decarbonize our value chain.”
Adrian Dyter, head of procurement and technical at Muntons, said, “As the first maltster to develop a carbon calculator to help identify the carbon intensive areas of the supply chain from grain to glass, we are excited to be working with Suntory, Future Food Solutions and the farming group in East Anglia led by Dewing Grain on this pioneering project. It is by working together with other companies who share our ethos of practical sustainability that we are able to achieve the great leaps that are needed in the food and drinks industry.”
And at Future Food Solutions, Director Steve Cann said that having the opportunity to build field-based collaboration involving global brands like Suntory and UK barley farmers shows the added value that innovation partnerships can bring to the UK’s food and drink sector.
“Focusing on improving efficiency, lowering CO2 emissions, whilst also improving on farm biodiversity results in benefits for everyone, including the environment,” Cann added.
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