Situation

The U.S. dairy industry faced mounting pressure from NGOs, retailers, and consumers to reduce its carbon emissions. How might Blu Skye help stakeholders find profitable innovation while also lowering the carbon footprint? 

Goal

Identify inefficiencies to eliminate negative externalities and achieve cost savings along the value chain. 

Our Role

Assess

Conducted a carbon footprint assessment of U.S. dairy products, from farm to retail shelf.

Align

Identified the people, ideas and technologies capable of reducing emissions, improving margins, and positioning the industry as an environmental leader.

Execute

Supported the industry in promoting and adopting anaerobic digestors and other best practices. 

Results

• Unlocked a potential $250 million of added business value.

• Established a clear, objective model adopted by the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy Board of Directors, now with an ambitious goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.

• Recognized by USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack at the 2010 Copenhagen Climate Summit as the preeminent agricultural sustainability model.

 Feedback

“Any firm can write a white paper, conduct an environmental impact assessment, or tell you about sustainability and the opportunities, but it is more difficult to find a partner to help you capture stakeholder imagination, enroll them in a common goal, and put change into action. Blu Skye gets system change.”

–Erin Fitzgerald, Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy