In an Australian first trial, the call is out for a South Australian food or beverage company to pilot the emission tracking and management solution, SiGreen, from global technology company, Siemens.
Siemens said SiGreen lets companies track and manage verifiable Product Carbon Footprints (PCF) across their supply chain, while each company maintains full data sovereignty.
Siemens Australia and New Zealand CEO Peter Halliday said many don’t know what a commitment to net zero involved.
“A commitment to net zero means a commitment to measure, track and reduce your emissions in your direct supply chain – otherwise known as scope 3 emissions.
“Put simply, our industries need to accelerate their efforts and capabilities around net zero or they risk being locked out of critical local and global supply chains,” Halliday said.
The pilot will be facilitated by Food SA, the state’s peak industry body for the sector. Food SA CEO Catherine Sayer said the initiative would play a pivotal role in shaping the discussions around net zero in the industry.
“One of the recommendations from the South Australia Food and Beverage 5-year Export Strategy was to implement a recognised food and beverage environmental sustainability accreditation system.
“This pilot will not only give a company the opportunity to obtain a product's true carbon footprint in each manufacturing process and support companies in tracking their product carbon footprint but also help validate current and future emissions against their set goals,” Sayer said.
Siemens said SiGreen uses innovative technologies such as industrial peripheral computing, which make it possible to exchange emission data along the supply chain, from sourcing raw materials and packaging right through to customers enjoying the end product.
Through SiGreen, the company will benefit from replacing highly manual processes, exchange emission data along the supply chain and combine it with data from the company’s own value creation to obtain a product’s true carbon footprint.
The chosen company will have unparalleled opportunity to engage with their supply chain on a product level and quantify the CO2 contribution of individual components and suppliers, enabling a cross-company effort towards decarbonisation and net zero targets.
“The food and beverage sector in South Australia is worth over $11 billion – and we are working towards getting the right systems in place to make it more sustainable for future generations,” Sayer said.
South Australian deputy premier Dr Susan Close welcomed this nation-leading pilot program said many companies find the process of tracking their emissions daunting.
“Supporting our strong-performing food manufacturing sector to identify, track and reduce their carbon footprint will be critical to South Australia’s future economic and environmental sustainability,” Close said.
Halliday said it made sense to run the trial in South Australia, considering Siemens’ history in Australia.
“We began our journey 150 years ago in South Australia, opening up the nation with the Darwin to Adelaide overland telegraph.
“Siemens has been with the state on their progressive journey throughout those 150 years, supporting everything from hi-tech brewing with Coopers through to Australia’s largest operating green hydrogen electrolyser at Tonsley Park.
“It makes perfect sense for Siemens to now choose South Australia to pilot SiGreen, which will support the state’s industrial transformation towards net zero,” he said.
The first step for interested companies is to register to participate at Food SA’s special industry briefing on 4th May 2023. Registrations can be done via this link: https://www.foodsouthaustralia.com.au/resources-programs/industry-resources-programs/sigreen-pilot-program#Brief
