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Accountability and key figures

Setting science-based targets

Combating climate change is a key element of our business strategy. Our climate vision is to achieve net-zero meat production by 2050 and setting science-based targets is a concrete step towards achieving just that.

In September 2021, we committed to set climate targets under the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), and in November 2022 our near-term targets were approved.

Having our near-term climate targets validated and approved by the SBTi will support our focus on ensuring that our climate actions lead to absolute reductions in our greenhouse gas emissions. The targets we submitted are broken down into sub targets for our scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions based on a detailed mapping of all significant greenhouse gas emissions throughout our value chain.

The Science Based Targets initiative is a collaboration between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The SBTi defines and promotes best practice in science-based target setting and independently assesses companies’ targets.

Strengthened ambitions
Although the rates of decline for Danish Crown’s approved targets are lower in percentage terms than the ambition to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases by at least 50% in 2030 relative to 2005, the SBTi approved targets strengthen our ambitions as they refer to a much shorter period and come on top of the considerable reductions in emissions made before 2020.

Our targets

The SBTi requires all companies whose scope 3 emissions cover more than 40% of their combined scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions to also set targets for Scope 3.

Aligned with the requirements set by the SBTi, Danish Crown has defined two sets of near-term targets. One absolute target for Scope 1 and 2 emissions and one relative target for Scope 3 (scroll down for the full explanation of our Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions):

  • Danish Crown commits to reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions 42% by 2030 from a 2020 base year. This target covers 100% of Danish Crown’s Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions
  • Danish Crown commits to reduce Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions with 20% per kg of output produced by 2030 from a 2020 base year. This target covers approximately 88% of Danish Crown’s Scope 3 emissions

*Business activities that are not representative of Danish Crown’s overall production and/or represent only a minor share of our climate impacts were not included in the final scope 3 target. The target addresses 88% of the base-year scope 3 emissions, which meets the minimum ambition requirements for the physical intensity approach.

How are we then reducing our climate footprint?
We want to reduce emissions for scope 3 by 20 per cent per kg meat from 2020 to 2030. This must be done, among other things, by reducing the climate footprint on the farms of Danish Crown's cooperative farmers. Here, we have identified a wide range of initiatives to achieve this. The four most important being:
• Optimisation of manure handling incl. increased use of manure for biogas
• Field technologies that ensure feed grain with less climate impact
• Increase feed conversion efficiency through the "Danish Crown Data" programme
• Exclusive use of deforestation-free soy in feed

Going forward 

Our near-term targets will set the sustainability agenda going forward. Alongside our continuous work on a strong decarbonisation roadmap across all scopes of emissions, Danish Crown commits to publicly report its companywide GHG emissions as well as progress against its targets. In the next years, we will further strengthen our reporting practices and align with the upcoming GHG Protocol Land Sector and Removals Guidance to update our Scope 3 target to the criteria defined in SBTi’s new guidance on target-setting for Forest, Land and Agriculture (FLAG). This is to ensure that our reporting of greenhouse gas emissions is of high quality and reflects the latest methodologies and scientific evidence. 

Follow our progress towards our targets in our annual report. 

See where our CO2 emissions come from

Our most important sources of CO2e emissions