AMPC’s 2024 Environmental Performance Review (EPR) for Australian red meat processors has demonstrated the industry’s commitment to improving its environmental performance.
CSIRO conducts the review every two years to track the red meat processing industry’s environmental performance across key environmental indicators such as water, wastewater, energy, greenhouse gas emissions, and solid waste to landfill. Forty-three processing plants of various sizes participated accounting for 68 per cent of the Australian red meat processor throughput.
The 2024 EPR achieved the highest participation rate ever while also reaching a record low for greenhouse gas emissions since reporting began in 1998 and is now tracking in line with the Net Zero 2050 targets set out under the Paris Agreement.
AMPC Program Manager Sustainability Matthew Deegan said, “The AMPC Environmental Performance Review is a significant study showing evidence-based, industry-level, environmental reporting in the Australian food and beverage processor sector.
“It helps participating processors build trust with their communities and stakeholders over the long term, illustrating the industry’s serious approach to environmental performance. It also allows processors to compare themselves against the whole of the industry while helping each participating processor find areas for improvement in their plants.
“The 2024 EPR results demonstrated record levels of resilience and improvement in resource efficiency. The improvement follows significant investment by AMPC in renewable energy, integrated wastewater treatment, and resource efficiency, helping to give processors more confidence and capability to better manage their plants, improve processes, and adopt sustainable technologies and processes.
“Regional communities will also welcome the industry’s record low water intensity and highest water recycling levels, a testament to the ongoing dedication of Australian red meat processors”, he said.
As part of the review, 35 participating processors will complete a one-on-one environmental benchmarking workshop and will be provided with a confidential solutions report tailored to their plant. All data is aggregated and de-identified as part of the final published report. An industry webinar, hosted by AMPC, will explore the 2024 results on Wednesday 30 April 2025. More details will be shared in the coming weeks.
For more information about the results or benchmarking workshops, contact AMPC Program Manager Matthew Deegan at m.deegan@ampc.com.au
To read the Environmental Performance Review final report, head to the AMPC website: https://www.ampc.com.au/research-development/sustainability/2024-environmental-performance-review
Key results
Water use
- Water intake intensity averaged 7.3 kL / t HSCW which is a record low, achieving a 16 per cent reduction since 2010.
- Water recycling achieved a record level of 16 per cent of water consumption, showing a 45 per cent improvement since 2020.
Wastewater
- Wastewater discharge intensity averaged 6.5 kL / t HSCW, a record low for the sector.
- Importantly the sector also achieved lower nutrient level discharge intensities with Nitrogen and Phosphorus being > 70 per cent lower than 2020.
Energy use
- On average, total on-site energy intensity was at a record low of 2,897 MJ/t HSCW, a 30 per cent reduction since 2010.
- The use of on-site coal in the sector has continued to rapidly decrease in recent years, with 2024 showing a decline of 27 per cent since the 2022 EPR.
- Since the 2020 EPR, the sector’s solar PV adoption has rapidly increased by more than 400 per cent.
Greenhouse gas emissions
- GHG emissions intensity achieved a record low of 330 kg CO2e/ t HSCW.
- Emissions intensity reduced by 17 per cent, at an accelerated rate of decline since 2020
- Gross sectoral emissions have achieved a long-term reduction of 25 per cent since 2005.
Waste to landfill
- Organic waste was 36 per cent of all solid waste to landfill, 72 per cent of this was paunch and non-commercial value skins from a select few sites.
- A large portion of this organic waste to landfill might be diverted with further sectoral work around waste valorisation.
- Inorganic waste was 64 per cent of all solid waste to landfill, with facility-level waste plastic being < 13 per cent of this (AMPC report, Hogan et al p.5).
- Diverting inorganic solid waste from landfill is a complex issue requiring circularity across the whole supply chain.
- Where local recycling systems are in place, red meat processors are engaged with them.