Aurora Organic Dairy has made a number of new sustainability commitments, most notably a pledge to utilise 100% carbon-neutral energy by the end of 2020.
According to a statement from the company, the “urgent need to address climate change globally” has made the renewable energy pledge necessary. The company has also pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2025.
The pledge follows the release of the company’s 2019 sustainability report, which claimed that Aurora Organic Dairy has achieved significant reductions in water and energy usage, and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
According to the report, the company’s milk plant achieved a 71% solid waste landfill diversion rate, while its normalised greenhouse gas emissions were down 11%.
The updated pledge forms part of the company’s wider commitment to improving sustainability standards around three core pillars: animals, people and the planet.
In recent times, the company has made several steps to improve the standard in these three areas, including improving the welfare standards of its cows and calves, providing training and community support programmes to its farmers and employees, and reducing its environmental impact.
Scott McGinty, CEO of Aurora Organic Dairy said: “At Aurora Organic Dairy, we have a longstanding commitment to continuous improvement when it comes to our animals, people and planet.
“While we are proud of our achievements, in today’s world, we cannot rest. We must continue to do more to support our animals and people, the environment and our local communities. Our updated sustainability goals strengthen this commitment.”
Craig Edwards, director of sustainability for Aurora Organic Dairy added: “This last year was a milestone for Aurora Organic Dairy in terms of environmental stewardship.
“We installed solar arrays at our High Plains and High Ridge Dairies in Gill, Colo. and we committed to 100% carbon-neutral energy by the end of 2020.
“To get there, we will invest in renewable energy projects directly and will support additional projects by purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates and Verified Emission Reductions to address 100% of our electricity and fuels use across our company farms, raw milk transport, milk plants and headquarters.”
