DSM launches environmental product declarations to bolster industry’s sustainability journey

Through this initiative, DSM demonstrates its commitment to sustainability, which is becoming increasingly important for companies as consumers demand more sustainable products and practices. This is one way we work together with customers and supply chain partners as part of our strategic initiative ‘We Make it Possible’ that aims for a robust and achievable transformation in animal protein production.

[Feedinfo] How do EPDs differ from life cycle assessments?

than a market want.

This extends all the way down to what we are feeding production animals. DSM Animal Nutrition and Health is looking to help their customers answer these calls with their recently launched environmental product declaration (EPD) project which will provide customers with comprehensive information about the environmental impact of the company’s feed additive solutions. In this Industry Perspectives piece, VP of Sustainability and Business Solutions David Nickell and Sustainability Expert Charlotte Valliere share more about this initiative with Feedinfo and detail how these declarations can deliver transparency to customers and the industry as a whole, allowing them to make informed decisions about their purchases. We also uncover the process DSM employed to verify the data collected for its EPDs and how it ensures reliability and accuracy.

[Feedinfo] Can you explain what DSM’s environmental product declaration project is all about? Why did the company feel it important to launch this initiative?

[David Nickell] DSM’s environmental product declaration project is an initiative to provide credible Scope 3 reporting for our customers and help them to reach their emissions commitments. It involves creating technical documents called Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) that communicate the full environmental footprint per kilogramme of DSM product, including carbon footprint according to the EU Product Environmental Footprint methodology, and covering 19 impact categories from raw material sourcing to manufacturing, including the energy used, waste generated, and emissions produced during the manufacturing process.

[Charlotte Valliere] EPDs are reporting documents that use Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) methodology.

An LCA is a comprehensive assessment of a product’s environmental impact throughout its entire life cycle, from raw material extraction to disposal. It considers all the stages of the product’s life cycle, including transportation, manufacturing, use, and end-of-life disposal. LCAs typically involve a detailed analysis of the energy and material inputs, as well as the outputs of emissions, waste, and other environmental impacts.

On the other hand, an EPD is a standardised and verified document that summarises the results of an LCA for a specific product, providing information on its environmental impact from “cradle-to-gate” — which means from raw material extraction to the point where the product leaves the factory — in a consistent and understandable way.

[Feedinfo] Why is this something that your customers should consider? How does this benefit them at the end of the day?

[David Nickell] Our EPDs provide transparent information about the environmental impact of our products, specifically in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, and water usage. By employing them, our customers can make more informed decisions and choose products that have a lower environmental impact, thereby reducing their carbon footprint. Additionally, EPDs can help our customers understand the environmental impact of their own products, allowing them to communicate this to their own customers who may be increasingly concerned about sustainability.

We understand that the demand for sustainable products and practices is growing, and we aim to help our customers along their sustainability journeys. Our commitment to sustainability is not only important for our customers but also for the planet.

[Feedinfo] You have a very large portfolio of animal nutrition products. How many currently have EPDs? And when do you expect to have EPDs for your entire portfolio? How long do you expect this process to take?

[Charlotte Valliere] We have a continuous process to maintain and update our EPDs, ensuring our customers have the latest information and that new products and innovations are included in our EPD programme.

We are committed to ensuring that all products in our animal nutrition and health portfolio have an environmental product declaration, so customers have transparent information about the environmental impact of DSM products.

[Feedinfo] How did DSM go about ensuring objectivity of the data in these EPDs?

[Charlotte Valliere] We took a rigorous approach to ensure the credibility and objectivity of the data used in Environmental Product Declarations. The data used to produce the EPDs are based on primary data, which reflects DSM’s own consumption of raw materials and energy in the production of our products. Our Environmental Product Declarations are third-party assured by an external partner DNV Assurance B.V. This ensures that they are in accordance with International Life Cycle Assessment Standards ISO 14021:2016 and that the data used is credible and objective.

By using primary data and ensuring third-party assurance, DSM is able to provide customers with transparent and reliable information about the environmental impact of their products. This helps our customers to make informed decisions about the products they use and the impact they have on the environment.

[Feedinfo] Cost remains a major deciding factor in the industry as raw material prices as well as interest rates, inflation, and animal diseases continue to put pressure on bottom lines. Why should sustainability initiatives and EPDs remain high on to-do lists when there are — what some might say — more immediate pressures to consider?

[David Nickell] Measuring and understanding the environmental footprint at each stage of the animal protein value chain is crucial to identifying and implementing improvements that lead to more efficient and sustainable feed and food production, which often improves profitability. Sustainability information enables companies to make informed choices that support them in reducing their own environmental footprint to meet their own targets and the needs of others downstream, while unlocking value such as sustainable finance, eco-labelling, and identification of best practices across animal production.

Measuring and understanding the footprint is key to futureproofing your business, as the environmental boundaries within which to operate become more stringent. Fundamental to all of this is the need for credible, accurate and transparent sustainability metrics and sufficient time to systematically embed these within the business.

[Feedinfo] Of course, having the EPDs available does not necessarily mean that customers know how to employ them in their operations. Is this something that DSM is helping them with? How are you approaching improving knowledge around the value of EPDs to customer operations?

[Charlotte Valliere] At DSM, we are committed to supporting our customers in their sustainability goals by providing the necessary knowledge and resources to make informed decisions. To improve our customers’ understanding of EPDs, we are providing them with training and educational materials on how to effectively use EPD data. We are also engaging with stakeholders across the value chain to promote the adoption of EPDs and increase awareness of their importance in driving sustainable production. Through these efforts, we aim to empower our customers with the knowledge and support they need to make sustainable choices and reduce their environmental footprints. We believe that by working together, we can create a more sustainable future for all.

[Feedinfo] How are you making your EPDs available? How can customers get a hold of them? Are they free or available at a cost?

[David Nickell] They are available free of charge to clients, who can get further information via their DSM representative. We also plan to make the environmental product declarations available via our DSM customer portal.

Published in association with DSM Animal Nutrition and Health

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