Gilberto Xandó, JBS: "We are doing our part in tackling climate change"
As one of the speakers at the China-Brazil Dialogue on Sustainable Development, held in Beijing, the executive emphasized the Company's responsibility in the face of this challenge, as it is one of the largest food companies in the world. "We are doing our part in tackling climate change", said Xandó.
The event was organized by Cebri (Brazilian Center for International Relations), by the CCG (Center for China and Globalization) and by CPAFFC (Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries) with the intention of debating the transition to a low-carbon economy, against the background of food and energy security. The forum was attended by executives from other Brazilian and Chinese companies as well. In addition to the food sector, the mining and cellulose sectors, among others, were represented.
The president of JBS Brasil highlighted the Company's global investment in biodigestors for the disposal of organic waste in places such as the United States, Canada, Australia and Mexico. In addition, he emphasized that the company reached the capacity to use 99.61% of each head of cattle processed. "In addition to beef, we produce leather, organic fertilizers, soap, biofuel, collagen, gelatin, among other products. Therefore, the same land that allowed raising the animal to generate food also generated clean energy, health and personal hygiene items, clothing and agricultural inputs", enumerated Xandó.
Last year, the company started two new businesses: Campo Forte, in the organomineral fertilizers segment, and Genu-in, which operates in the production of collagen and gelatin peptides, both based on the use of residues from the chain of brands from JBS. “Increasing sustainability means increasing efficiency, our capacity to produce the maximum of life's essential items with the minimum of natural resources”, said the president of JBS Brasil. China, with a mission to feed 1.4 billion people, shares this concept.
In addition to the factory gate, JBS invests in partnerships to introduce nutritional supplements that can significantly reduce enteric methane emissions from cattle. In addition, its satellite monitoring system to assess all its cattle suppliers in Brazil covers an area three times the size of the UK on a daily basis. This system has already blocked more than 15,000 farms for failing to respect the company's socio-environmental criteria. The Company also has Green Offices, which provide free technical assistance and access to credit for cattle producers, aiming to increase productivity and improve their environmental practices. Almost 5,000 farms have already benefited from this service.
Two years ago, JBS was the first global company in the protein sector to commit to becoming Net Zero by 2040. Since then, the Company has been mobilizing its teams around the world and relying on specialized external consultants to build its roadmap consistent with criteria established by the Science-Based Targets Initiative. The work includes scopes 1, 2 and 3, which deal, respectively, with direct emissions, those related to the electricity used by the Company and those that occur throughout the value chain - from the raw material acquired to the distribution of products.
"We need to produce more, as a third of the world's population does not have adequate access to quality food, reducing our carbon footprint as climate change has severe impacts everywhere. We, at JBS, believe that it is indeed possible to face and overcome both challenges at the same time", said Xandó.
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