Global agribusiness Bunge has reached an agreement to supply 12,000 tonnes of soyabean meal to South American egg producer and distributor Mantiqueira Brasil.
The soyabeans would be sourced from farms that had adopted sustainable practices – improving soil quality and health, biodiversity conditions, and increasing nutrient levels and carbon stocks in the soil – and traced using blockchain technology, Bunge said.
Announced in December, the company said the agreement was part of its strategy to connect sustainable grain production with customers seeking to reduce their carbon emissions and increase supply chain traceability.
The meal would be used in the production of feed for poultry at Mantiqueira’s production units, the company said.
“In partnership with our clients, Bunge has been expanding its offering of carbon solutions to support emissions reductions in the supply chain and promote sustainable agricultural practices,” said Pamela Moreira, Bunge sustainability director.
Bunge said it was connecting the traceability and monitoring of the carbon footprint of its supply chain with Mantiqueira using a blockchain platform that consolidated information from the farm to the destination.
According to leading market methodologies such as EcoInvent, The Global Feed LCA Institute (GFLI) and AgriFootprint, the carbon footprint of soyabean meal supplied by Bunge was estimated to be 40%-70% lower than the average for Brazil.
The indicator adopted by Bunge – audited by a third-party company – included primary farm data collected with digital tools that was offered without charge to producers who were part of its Regenerative Agriculture Program in Brazil, which covers 345,000 ha.
The initiative combines a package of benefits for producers including premium payments and the offer of technical assistance and digital and precision agriculture tools.
US-based Bunge operates in more than 100 locations throughout Brazil, including processing, refining, bottling and storage units, and port terminals.
