Supermarket giant says Coles Finest carbon-neutral beef to deliver ‘real change’

WA shoppers will be able to try the nation’s first carbon neutral beef early next year after supermarket giant Coles rolled out the “industry-leading” products in three more states last month. Coles launched its Carbon Neutral Project in Victoria in April before expanding the products to New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania in November. On offer are six premium quality cuts of beef — including porterhouse steak, chuck roast and scotch fillet. The beef range is certified carbon neutral from paddock to shelf in accordance with the Australian Government’s Climate Active Carbon Neutral Standard. Coles national livestock manager of beef and lamb Stephen Rennie said Coles was proud to partner with farmers to provide more customers with a sustainable meat product. “We were really encouraged by the response we received when we launched Coles Finest Certified Carbon Neutral Beef in Victoria earlier this year, and we’re very excited to be able to provide this industry-leading, sustainable option to more customers around the country,” he said. “Not only has Coles delivered on the country’s first own branded carbon neutral beef range, but we’ve also produced a high-quality and great-tasting product that will meet the customer’s growing need for sustainable options.” Integrity Ag and Environment managing director Dr Stephen Wiedemann has been working with Coles for the past two years to pilot and deliver innovative ways to lower emissions throughout the entire supply chain and use emission removals to deliver carbon neutrality. “We certify every farm and facility throughout the whole supply chain to confirm emissions, emission reductions and emission removals,” he said. “These results are independently verified by a third party verifier and approved by the Federal Government’s Climate Active program. “In this program, we are delivering low-emission beef by maximising productivity in the supplier herds, in-setting via on-farm tree planting, soil carbon sequestration and in the near future, feeding next generation supplements to directly reduce livestock emissions. New South Wales’ Holbrook cattle farmer Daniel Mathie has made significant changes to the operation of his family’s farm over the past several years to reduce emissions and supply the Coles carbon neutral beef range. He has installed solar panels, implemented storage of carbon in the soil through best practice soil and pasture management, focused on herd productivity, utilised industry leading cattle genetics, and planted more than 50,000 trees. “We’re really excited to be collaborating with Coles on this cutting-edge project because sustainability is paramount to my family and I,” he said. “We make a living off the land, but if we don’t look after it, it won’t be here for future generations.” Coles Finest Certified Carbon Neutral Beef carries the Climate Active logo to help customers identify the certified beef on shelves. Climate Active certification is awarded to businesses and organisations that have credibly reached a state of achieving carbon neutrality for their products or services. Meat and Livestock Australia managing director Jason Strong congratulated Coles on the expansions of the range and said it was an important step towards achieving the red meat industry’s target of carbon neutrality by 2030. “Coles is leading the charge when it comes to carbon neutral beef,” he said. “By working directly with farmers to help them lower emissions and offset carbon, the red meat industry is getting closer towards achieving its target of carbon neutral by 2030.” The new beef range is packed into a recyclable tray and made from 90 per cent recycled and plant-based sources, an Australian innovation by Coles’ packaging partner Plantic. Coles Finest Certified Carbon Neutral Beef will be available nationally by April next year.