Valio Carbo® – collaborating for future-proof food
Valio, with 120 years of expertise in dairy, has pioneered innovations that combine tradition with cutting-edge technology to deliver high-quality products and solutions. Valio is committed to achieving a carbon-neutral milk value chain by 2035 as part of our mission to build a future-proof food system, driving forward-thinking solutions in nutrition, food technology, and climate actions.
Ambitious climate targets
Valio’s climate action roadmap (2019-2035) targets a 50% reduction in milk’s carbon footprint by 2030, aligned with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), and accelerates toward carbon neutrality by 2035. Around 95% of the carbon footprint of milk comes from dairy farms. That is why many emission reduction interventions focus on primary production.
Carbon footprint calculation advances with new research data
Central to Valio’s actions are the Valio Carbo® initiatives, featuring the Carbo® Environmental Calculator—a tool used by Finnish dairy farms to precisely measure, not estimate, milk’s carbon footprint on a farm level.
Verified by Carbon Trust and based on the most accurate Tier 3 (IPCC) method, the calculator provides farm-specific data that enables farms to allocate their actions in the areas where they have the most potential to reduce their environmental impact. Currently, 65% of Valio farms, representing 79% of total milk, use the Carbo® Environmental Calculator, with full adoption targeted by 2030, supported by a sustainability incentive program.
In 2023, Valio launched the Carbo® Environmental Calculator 2.0, which expands emission management to include beef production and more complex production scenarios for milk and beef. Furthermore, the Carbo® Environmental Calculator provides information about climate impacts of cultivated feeds and plants thus covering also other possible products from farms. Valio has commercialized Carbo® Environmental Calculator across the dairy and beef sectors in Finland. It is the first national environmental impact calculator for the entire cattle value chain, unique in the whole world, covering 90% of Finnish milk and beef sector.
First customers joined Valio Carbo™ partnership programme 2024
Valio’s approach seamlessly integrates farm-specific data from the Carbo® Environmental Calculator into Valio Carbo® products and partnerships, advancing climate actions within our shared value chain. In 2024, the first food industry customers joined the Valio Carbo™ partnership programme. Partnership operates with an emission reduction in-setting model, linking climate impacts directly to products. The Valio Carbo® product portfolio includes lower-emission ingredients such as industrial butter, skimmed milk powder, and whole milk powder.
By joining the Carbo partnership, customers achieve concrete CO2e reductions in their Scope 3 GHG inventory. Emission impact data is collected using the Carbo® Environmental Calculator, and the entire process is independently assessed and verified by a third-party climate impact verifier.
Valio Carbo® cooperation network further accelerates progress by working with leading companies and research institutions for regenerative business and future-proof food.
Interested in further information? Contact Ari Ahonen, Head of Sales.
