Utilizing The J-Credit Scheme Towards Achieving Carbon Neutrality In The Dairy Farming Industry

Marubeni Corporation (hereinafter, “Marubeni”), Farmnote Dairy Platform Inc. (hereinafter, “Farmnote DP”), and Meiji Holdings Co., Ltd. (hereinafter, “Meiji”) have agreed to utilize the J-Credit Scheme to achieve carbon neutrality in the dairy farming industry.

The project to which the J-Credit Scheme applies involved changing the disposal management system at Farmnote DP to reduce greenhouse gas (hereinafter, “GHG”) emissions. By changing the disposal of dairy cow excreta, which was previously sprayed in fields after “storage”, to “aerobic digestion”^*, which has a smaller GHG coefficient and lower environmental burden, the project achieved a reduction in CO₂ of 149 tons over the course of one year, starting from August 2022. Throughout the project, Marubeni estimates GHG emissions and conducts the application and sales of J-Credits while Meiji purchases J-Credits generated. This is Japan’s first GHG emission reduction project for the conversion of the disposal management system for livestock excreta. Farmnote DP, Marubeni, and Meiji aim to create an economic cycle and achieve carbon neutrality in the dairy farming and livestock industry.

Farmnote DP, which generated the J-Credits for the project, is a subsidiary of Farmnote Holdings, Inc. (hereinafter, “Farmnote HD”), a startup company that aims to resolve social issues facing the dairy farming industry and improve its productivity. Marubeni invested in Farmnote HD in 2021 and has been promoting digital transformation (DX) for dairy farming and livestock, working to achieve increased productivity and optimization. Meiji invested in Farmnote HD in 2023 and has been strengthening its efforts to achieve sustainable dairy farming by utilizing the barn operated by the Farmnote Group as a testing and validation site for materials and products that Meiji is developing.

Marubeni, Farmnote DP, and Meiji will actively collaborate with companies that possess new knowledge and technology and contribute to realize a sustainable dairy farming business.

^* Aerobic digestion: Fermentation caused by forced exposure to oxygen by agitation, etc.