OFI’s bold climate goals get the green light

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), the industry standard for corporate climate targets, has verified OFi’s climate targets. This demonstrates that OFI’s goals are in line with the most recent climate science standards for keeping global warming to 1.5°C.

Reaching SBTi approval shows that a company is dedicated to providing its clients in the food and beverage industry with verified, low-carbon products and solutions.

“By allowing the science to guide our approach, we’re demonstrating our dedication to creating a sustainable future,” stated Roel van Poppel, chief sustainability officer at ofi. This confirmation of our climate ambitions offers our customers confidence that we can work with them on their decarbonisation journeys, as the sourcing and manufacture of ingredients contribute significantly to their carbon footprints.

ofi’s climate action targets are part of its Choices for Change sustainability strategy and include a science-based target to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across the value chain by 2050. Its near-term targets, with 2020 as a base year, include:

• A 50% reduction in absolute Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, addressing emissions within ofi’s own operations and energy use.
• A 30% reduction in absolute Scope 3 emissions by 2030, covering indirect emissions from purchased goods, energy activities, transportation, and waste.
• A 30% reduction in absolute emissions from Forestry, Land Use, and Agriculture by 2030 on both ofi’s estates and supplier farms, with a firm no deforestation commitment.

ofi’s roadmap to achieving these science-based targets includes investment and innovation across the supply chain. In its processing operations, ofi is driving energy efficiency, implementing fuel switching and purchasing renewable electricity to reduce emissions, which led to a 7% drop in 2024 (Emissions tCO₂e for ofi’s Tier 1 sites (49 large processing facilities), compared to 2020 baseline) – even as processing volumes grew.

On the ground in sourcing origins, twenty-four decarbonisation projects are underway with customers and partners driving GHG reductions and removals on farms through climate-smart agriculture, agroforestry and deforestation prevention. In Brazil for example, a joint effort between ofi and Nestlé is helping coffee farmers cut GHG emissions primarily through smarter fertiliser use, with a ~20% reduction since 2022, according to ofi data (Based on a 2024 assessment of 240+ farmers covering ~13,000 hectares).

At the upcoming New York Climate Week, ofi will join the Wildlife Conservation Society, PepsiCo and other industry leaders to discuss how aligning such efforts under shared frameworks for action and measurement can drive emissions reductions at landscape-level.

Roel van Poppel: “Rapid and deep emission cuts are required across the sector to achieve a net-zero food system before 2050. SBTi validation makes us accountable and positions us as the partner of choice for customers also aiming for real change and transparent reporting in their supply chains.”

For more information on ofi’s climate action targets, please visit our Sustainability page.