1. SET in Practice:
Meat Product Marketer Westfleisch
Positioned Well with CO2 Footprint
How does a 150 gram package of ham impact the climate? SET, a BASF initiative
for applied sustainability, is making sustainability measurable. With a strategic
sustainability approach and innovative instruments, SET helps consumer goods
manufacturers in measuring the sustainability of their products and optimizing
them on an individual basis. Here SET examines the entire value chain.
It was 1820 when the German poet Hein-
rich Heine described the northern Ger-
man region of Westphalia as the „Mother
country of the ham“. The name still fits
perfectly today: In the middle of the green
countryside of Westphalia we find West-
fleisch, one of Europe‘s leading marketers
of meat products. Slaughtering, cutting,
processing and refining of meat special-
ties brought Westfleisch revenues totaling
2.16 billion Euros in 2011 (including ex-
port subsidiaries, consolidated).
Social and ecological responsibility are
high priorities at Westfleisch. „Climate
protection means much more than just
energy-efficiency in production and op-
erational management: Westfleisch takes
responsibility for the climate impact of its
products,“ says Managing Board Chair-
man Dr. Helfried Giesen regarding the
Westfleisch sustainability strategy, for-
mulated with the assistance of the SET
experts at BASF.
More sustainable meat
Using a comprehensive approach, the Supported and realized by SET, the CO2 Another interesting fact is the differing CO2
SET team, led at the European level by footprint yielded insightful results: Although footprints of the various product types:
Dr. Christoph Günther, investigated how processing meat is an energy-intensive part While 1 kg of raw pork has a CO2 footprint
much greenhouse gas (CO2e) is generated of meat production, slaughtering, cutting of 3.2 kg, the footprint for packaged boiled
along the entire value creation chain – and processing account for only a small ham is 3.6 kg and as a result of the energy-
from animal feed production all the way to part of the greenhouse gases produced. In intensive drying process, „raw cold-cuts“
product consumption and disposal. fact, animal feed has a much stronger effect (such as salami) weigh in with CO2 foot-
Knowing how much greenhouse gas emis- on the CO2 footprint: More than 50 percent prints of as much as 4 kg.
sions are generated – and where exactly
­ of the CO2 footprint for pork production is
along the value chain – is the crucial
­ based on this factor. This includes CO2-­ SET also worked with Westfleisch to formu­
prerequisite for continuously reducing
­ relevant fertilizers and measures for plant late the CO2 footprint for veal and beef.
emissions and effectively commu­­ nicating breeding and plant protection upstream in The CO2 footprint is an important initial
this success to the market. the value creation chain. step in the quantitative evaluation of

2. „Thanks to SET, as a leading company in the meat production
sector we were able to determine an extensive CO2 footprint for
our products. This lets us distinguish ourselves from market
competition and actively accommodate our trade partners
while meeting consumer expectations at the same time. The
expertise and personal interaction with the SET-team are of
great value to us.“
Dr. Helfried Giesen, CEO Westfleisch
s
­ustainability. Additional SET milestones Ultimately the consumer wants to buy
on the way to more sustainability are for food which is sustainable, i.e. which is
example the so-called „perception analy- produced with respect for the needs of
sis” and an integrated traceability strategy. both humans and animals and in balance
In the „perception analysis“ SET investi- with our planet.“
gates which topics are particularly relevant
for sustainability, from the point of view of
the producer, but also from the point of
view of external interest groups. This qual-
Carbon Footprint as a Result of a Life Cycle Analysis
itative analysis focuses for example on
topics such as animal welfare and social for 1 kg Fresh Pork: 3,2 kg CO2e
aspects, energy consumption and pollu-
tion. The results form the basis for the 100 % of CO2 Footprint
f
­ormulation of specific measures aimed at
optimizing sustainability and thus also
80
i
­mproving public perception. Slaughter*
Farm
Fine-tuning sustainability 60
Feed
Christoph Günther explains: „There are a
variety of levers for fine-tuning the impro­ 40
vement of sustainability. With our compre-
hensive approach we find potential for opti-
20
mization along the entire value chain and
help our customers exploit this potential.
First of all, the customer profits from greater 0
resource efficiency. Second, the approach Occurrence of CO2e along the value chain
generates additional value, which shines
a positive light on the customer’s brand. *including processing up to fresh meat unpacked Source Westfleisch, 2011
Find out more about BASF’s sustainability initiative SET at www.set.basf.com.
Contact: Dr. Christoph Günther, Phone: +49 621 60-28608, E-mail: christoph.guenther@basf.com