Quantifying the Impact of MLA’s Supply Chain Sustainability Program in Contributing to the Australian Red Meat Industry’s Social License to Operate
| Project start date: | 01 February 2018 |
| Project end date: | 03 June 2018 |
| Publication date: | 13 July 2018 |
| Project status: | Completed |
| Livestock species: | Sheep, Goat, Lamb, Grassfed cattle, Grainfed cattle |
| Relevant regions: | National |
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Summary
MLA’s Supply Chain Sustainability Program focuses on activities that enable Australia’s red meat supply chains to be socially, environmentally and economically responsible.
This project developed an evaluation framework to evaluate the impacts to industry generated by the program. This evaluation framework was used as part of MLA’s company-wide impact evaluation series.
Investments in this supply chain sustainability have contributed to reductions in the industry’s greenhouse gas emissions, fresh water use and fossil energy use, while delivering economic value from investments into research and development.
Objectives
This project measured and evaluated investments made by MLA’s Supply Chain Sustainability Program by assessing the impacts generated from 2015 to 2017.
Key findings
MLA’s Supply Chain Sustainability Program has shown the potential to deliver:
- 24% fossil energy reduction in feedlots
- 4-22% fossil energy reduction in processing facilities which use alternative energy
- 19% reduction in total energy use by rendering heat recovery
- 13-75% greenhouse gas emissions reduction by using alternative fuels or implementing heat recovery systems
- 36% water use reduction from water recycling in meat processing.
Benefits to industry
Research undertaken in the program demonstrates environmental benefits by reducing fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions through use of alternative energy and implementing efficiency measures, and reducing fresh water consumption through water recycling.
MLA action
The results of this project have contributed to another MLA project (V.SCS.0012), which evaluated the impact of investments made by MLA’s Supply Chain Sustainability Program between 2015 and 2020.
Future research
To further enhance the impact of the Supply Chain Sustainability Program in future projects, it is recommended future projects are required to:
- quantify the magnitude of potential impacts
- discuss benefits for a range of businesses to encourage adoption.
More information
| Project manager: | Douglas McNicholl |
| Primary researcher: | University of Melbourne |
