ANAHEIM, CALIF. – Organic Valley announced during a panel at Natural Products Expo West how it plans to achieve carbon neutrality with a new carbon insetting approach.

The cooperative of small, organic family farms devised to create a carbon-neutral food system through a program that will incentivize and assist its farmers, using regenerative, climate-smart practices.

Organic Valley shared that its insetting program includes deep emission reductions and carbon sequestration on member farms. The cooperative aims to become the first major dairy brand to reduce farm emissions without having to depend upon carbon offsets.

"Carbon insetting is about so much more than simply reducing a company's carbon footprint,” said Nicole Rakobitsch, Organic Valley’s director of sustainability. “It is about businesses investing in the ecosystems their suppliers and farmers depend on to increase their resiliency and provide significant, measurable benefits to communities surrounding the value chain.”

The practices initially under consideration for the program include tree plantings, improved manure management, renewable energy, energy efficiency and enhanced grazing and cropland practices.