Customer enquiries about CO2 with Yourharvest

yourharvest is a sourcing partner for bespoke, plant-based foods and connects producers at source directly with customers in Europe.

For many food companies, the majority of CO2 emissions arise within Scope 3. These include indirect emissions along the upstream and downstream value chain, for example from the production of purchased raw materials, their processing and transport.

In order to reliably track their own Scope 3 emissions, yourharvest’s customers increasingly require specific CO2 data at product level. Consequently, they are increasingly asking yourharvest and other suppliers for product-specific CO2 footprints, known as Product Carbon Footprints or PCFs.

To meet this need in practice, yourharvest is using Niatsu for customer enquiries. Together, the teams are working through specific use cases and gaining experience with product-specific CO2 calculations.

Sarah Bonaventura, Head of Sustainability at yourharvest, says of the collaboration with Niatsu:

“With Niatsu, we are creating greater transparency throughout our supply chain and can specifically incorporate primary data from our suppliers into our CO2 calculations. The platform is intuitively designed and enables us to carry out calculations independently and efficiently. This allows us to demonstrate the environmental benefits of our products to our customers transparently and at the touch of a button, an important foundation for informed decisions and greater sustainability throughout the value chain.”

Key points

• Targeted use of Niatsu for selected customer enquiries Calculation of product-specific CO2 footprints in response to specific customer enquiries
• Taking into account raw materials, origin, processing and transport
• Supporting customers in recording their Scope 3 emissions
• Identification of the most significant sources of emissions along the supply chain
• Provision of reliable CO2 data at product level

Approach

The yourharvest range includes, amongst other things, dried fruit, nuts, fruit, purées, concentrates, vegetables, spices and other plant-based ingredients from various countries of origin.

In the current pilot phase, Niatsu is being deployed specifically where customers require concrete CO2 data for individual products. If a customer needs a PCF for a particular product, Niatsu assists yourharvest with the calculation. Based on the available information on raw materials, origin, processing and transport, CO2 emissions are modelled along the relevant value chain.

yourharvest has not analysed the entire product range across the board. Instead, the application is being rolled out deliberately in stages and in line with specific customer needs. The PCFs are calculated specifically for those products for which customers require specific CO2 data.

This enables yourharvest to test the use of Niatsu based on real customer enquiries whilst also assessing how product-specific CO2 data can be meaningfully integrated into existing processes.

Results

Even at this implementation stage, it is already evident how yourharvest can use Niatsu to provide well-founded answers to specific customer enquiries regarding CO2 emissions at product level:

• Customers receive product-specific CO2 data for their own Scope 3 calculations
• PCFs can be requested specifically for individual products
• Differences between products, origins and supply chains become apparent
• A product’s key emission sources can be identified
• Customers receive a reliable data foundation for procurement, reporting and further CO2 analyses

Benefits for yourharvest: Robust PCFs on request

The demands for CO2 data in the food industry are increasing. Companies increasingly require reliable information on the emissions associated with the raw materials and products they purchase in order to be able to account for their own Scope 3 emissions.

Through the targeted use of Niatsu in response to specific customer enquiries, yourharvest can gain experience in product-specific CO2 calculations whilst simultaneously creating direct added value for its customers.

With Niatsu, yourharvest can provide its customers with product-specific CO2 footprints on request, thereby supplying concrete data on emissions throughout the supply chain.

This enables customers to obtain reliable PCFs precisely where they need them for their own CO2 accounting. At the same time, the current application lays the groundwork for further developing its use in the future, based on the experience gained.