Two US dairy firms join Farm Powered Strategic Alliance
Dairy firms Stonyfield Organic and Cabot are joining forces with the Farm Powered Strategic Alliance (FPSA) and Dairy Farmers of America to place dairy as a leader in decarbonisation efforts.
The FPSA, founded in 2020 by Vanguard Renewables, Unilever, Starbucks, and Dairy Farmers of America, aims to accelerate long-term commitments to avoid or eliminate food waste first and repurpose the remainder into renewable energy via anaerobic digestion.
“These two sustainably-minded dairy companies are stepping up to a leadership role in climate change mitigation at a time when the eyes of the world are on the UN Climate Change Summit,” said John Hanselman, founder and chief strategy officer of Vanguard Renewables.
“Each new Alliance member further enables the expansion of this farm-centred programme to all major metro areas nationwide. Stonyfield Organic and Cabot now join other dairy brands and manufacturers including the Dairy Farmers of America to regenerate unavoidable waste into value and help us sustain the family farms that supply their milk.”
Cabot Creamery/Agri-Mark has worked with Vanguard from the beginning. Two of its farm members, Goodrich Farm in Vermont, and Barstow’s Longview Farm in Massachusetts, host Farm Powered anaerobic digesters. Cabot sends inedible organic waste from its manufacturing facilities to those digesters and also purchases the renewable energy produced from the digesters to power the Massachusetts facility.
Jed Davis, director of sustainability at Cabot Creamery, said: “It was a logical decision for us to join the Alliance; for any food organisation trying to thoughtfully manage their energy footprints, there isn’t a reason in the world not to join the FPSA and be a part of a solution.”
Hanselman said the potential impact of the FPSA continues to grow. In the US, over 40% of all food produced is discarded and finding ways to reduce that waste is a priority. Across the country, some unavoidable food waste is still sent to landfills or incinerators but can be repurposed to produce renewable energy.
The FPSA, founded in 2020 by Vanguard Renewables, Unilever, Starbucks, and Dairy Farmers of America, aims to accelerate long-term commitments to avoid or eliminate food waste first and repurpose the remainder into renewable energy via anaerobic digestion.
“These two sustainably-minded dairy companies are stepping up to a leadership role in climate change mitigation at a time when the eyes of the world are on the UN Climate Change Summit,” said John Hanselman, founder and chief strategy officer of Vanguard Renewables.
“Each new Alliance member further enables the expansion of this farm-centred programme to all major metro areas nationwide. Stonyfield Organic and Cabot now join other dairy brands and manufacturers including the Dairy Farmers of America to regenerate unavoidable waste into value and help us sustain the family farms that supply their milk.”
Cabot Creamery/Agri-Mark has worked with Vanguard from the beginning. Two of its farm members, Goodrich Farm in Vermont, and Barstow’s Longview Farm in Massachusetts, host Farm Powered anaerobic digesters. Cabot sends inedible organic waste from its manufacturing facilities to those digesters and also purchases the renewable energy produced from the digesters to power the Massachusetts facility.
Jed Davis, director of sustainability at Cabot Creamery, said: “It was a logical decision for us to join the Alliance; for any food organisation trying to thoughtfully manage their energy footprints, there isn’t a reason in the world not to join the FPSA and be a part of a solution.”
Hanselman said the potential impact of the FPSA continues to grow. In the US, over 40% of all food produced is discarded and finding ways to reduce that waste is a priority. Across the country, some unavoidable food waste is still sent to landfills or incinerators but can be repurposed to produce renewable energy.
