Elders is committed to the priorities in our Sustainability Framework. These include addressing climate-related risks and opportunities, supporting farmers’ productivity through sustainable land management, and tailoring waste management practices to our business activities.
Climate change
Hotter and drier conditions, prolonged droughts and increased extreme weather events have profound effects across our business.
We are committed to managing emissions in our operations. We are developing targeted strategies of adaptation that address the specific climate-related risks and opportunities for our business.
Emissions targets and performance
Target | Progress |
2025 100 per cent renewable electricity in all Australian sites by 2025. | Target achieved through the procurement and retirement of Large-Scale Generation Certificates (LGCs). 500kW solar farm in development. Progressive increase in onsite solar generation from FY23. |
2030 50 per cent reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions intensity (tCO2e/$m revenue) by 2030, against a baseline year of 2021. Subject to commercially available technology being available to address feedlot cattle emissions. | 18.8 tCO2e/$m revenue in 2022. This is down from 23.86 tCO2e/$m in 2021. Achieved through record revenue, LGC procurement and reduced equipment fuel use at Killara Feedlot. |
2050 Net zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2050. | 64,772 tCO2e this year (Scope 1 and 2). Up from 60,828 tCO2e in 2021. |
Our emissions profile
Our emissions profile for FY23 is made up of five key categories:
- Killara Feedlot cattle at 65 percent
- Fleet transport fuel at 31 percent
- Killara Feedlot equipment fuel at 1.5 percent
- Other fuel at 2 percent
- Electricity for Elders Fine Foods at 0.3 percent.
We aim to partner with industry on the development and implementation of technology to tackle the carbon footprint of cattle at the Killara Feedlot. In FY23 we continued working with supply chain partners to further investigate nature-based solutions that could be implemented on-farm to reduce emissions. Some of the practices explored, like planting shelter belts, are already practised at Killara. We continue to investigate ways to evaluate the entire carbon footprint of Killara Feedlot.
Graph showing source of Elders' emissions profile.
Sustainable farming and innovation
There is a growing need for sustainable farming practices to manage natural resources efficiently while promoting social and economic wellbeing.
We support farmers’ productivity through the introduction of innovative technologies that facilitate sustainable land management.
In collaboration with industry bodies, universities, and governments, Thomas Elders Sustainable Agriculture (TESA) enables us to champion future-focused solutions.
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Waste management
It is our responsibility to properly manage our waste and support effective waste management in our supply chains. Our primary waste footprint comprises product packaging and livestock, including organic waste produced by cattle at our Killara Feedlot.
We are members of Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) which guides our ambition to reduce the packaging waste, in line with the 2025 National Packaging Targets. Refer to our Packaging Waste Policy for more information.
In FY23, we also became members of Big Bag Recovery, facilitating the recycling of plastic bags from the rural products supply chain.
Our management practices are tailored in response to the business activities undertaken within our network. Where possible, we recover, reuse or recycle our waste to maintain circularity, through participation in schemes including drumMUSTER and Big Bag Recovery.
Further initiatives in environmental sustainability are outlined in our Sustainability Report.