3Degrees launch Low Carbon Fertilizer Alliance

Managed by 3Degrees, the alliance leverages decades of expertise in greenhouse gas (GHG) strategy and agricultural emissions reductions by bringing together organisations in the food, beverage, and apparel industries. The alliance is supported by founding member Mars, Inc., alongside three additional Fortune 200 food companies, with CF Industries – the largest producer of nitrogen fertilizers in North America – joining as the founding manufacturing member.

While existing technologies can significantly reduce emissions from fertilizer manufacturing, companies often face barriers to accessing these lower-carbon options.

The alliance provides a scalable approach to decarbonising fertilizer manufacturing by funding emissions reduction initiatives within the agriculture value chain. With funding to be secured through the alliance, CF Industries has committed to complete a new nitric acid plant emissions abatement project at its Verdigri manufacturing facility in Oklahoma, US, which is expected to reduce CO₂ emissions from the facility by 600 000 tpy, beginning in 2025. Nitric acid is a raw material of urea ammonium nitrate solution (UAN), the most commonly used fertilizer in the US.

“While fertilizer manufacturing emissions represent over 20% of the emissions footprint of many agricultural commodities, the challenge is that these emissions are far upstream, making them difficult for any single company to finance and claim. This is why collective action is essential,” said John Bourne, Senior Director of Agriculture at 3Degrees.

With growing pressure to credibly reduce agriculture supply chain emissions, the alliance’s technical working group developed the Reporting and Claims Guidance V1.0, offering companies a framework to integrate the impact of alliance supported interventions into their sustainability strategies and reporting.

“We appreciate the approach to accelerating decarbonisation across the fertilizer production system,” added Autumn Fox, Global Sustainability Director at Mars. “By working together, we ensure that our accounting for upstream emission reductions is credible and aligned with our peers, while moving the needle on decarbonising the inputs that farmers rely on.”

Read the article online at: https://www.worldfertilizer.com/nitrogen/18032025/3degrees-launch-low-carbon-fertilizer-alliance/