The Cool Farm Tool

Citation

(2010), "The Cool Farm Tool", Management of Environmental Quality, Vol. 21 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/meq.2010.08321fab.003

The Cool Farm Tool

Article Type: News From: Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, Volume 21, Issue 6

The Cool Farm Tool is a new greenhouse gas calculator for farming. It gives instant results that invite users to try out alternatives and ask ”what if” questions. The tool was commissioned by Unilever from the University of Aberdeen. The tool seeks to assist farmers, supply chain managers and companies interested in quantifying their agricultural carbon footprint and finding practical ways of reducing it. It calculates the greenhouse gas balance of farming, including emissions from fields, inputs, livestock, land use and land use change and primary processing. It uses “Tier2-type” methods, offering users simple menu choices for parameters that farmers can influence to reduce their carbon footprint.

Reporting greenhouse gas emissions is part of the Metric Reporting requirements within the Unilever Sustainable Agriculture Code. The Cool Farm Tool will also be used in a multi-company project on agricultural climate mitigation coordinated by the Sustainable Food Lab, also including Unilever, PepsiCo, Marks & Spencer, Pulse Canada, Yara, Sysco and others. Details can be seen at: www.growingforthefuture.com/content/Cool+Farm+Tool