In a first for the Tasmanian poultry industry, Inghams’ Marion Bay chicken products have been certified carbon neutral from paddock to shelf by Climate Active.
This further supports Marion Bay chicken as a responsible choice for Tasmanians, with all our free range chickens raised on farms with RPSCA Approved certification.
The Marion Bay team celebrated this achievement today with a tree planting day at our primary processing plant in Sorell, Tasmania, in collaboration with the local Sorell Landcare group.
Inghams’ Site Operations Manager at Sorell, Michelle Earley said: “Inghams’ products are already recognised for our high animal welfare with all of our meat chicken growing farms in Australia certified by the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme. We are proud that our Marion Bay chicken products are now certified carbon neutral, continuing our poultry sustainability leadership.”
The carbon neutral certification has been achieved by reducing emissions where possible across Inghams’ production process – from the raw material for feed, nurturing the animals, transporting and processing the chickens through to selling the product through our retail partners – and investing in certified carbon credits to offset the remaining footprint. The full list of carbon neutral activities included can be found in our Public Disclosure Statement on the Climate Active website.
It often surprises people to learn just how carbon-efficient chicken is as a source of protein. Chicken is one of the lowest of all land-based meat proteins in terms of CO₂ emissions per kilogram based on the whole life cycle impact of production.
And at Marion Bay, we’re on a path to reduce our carbon emissions throughout our Tasmanian operations, including:
- Upgrading and installing a new spin chiller for greater efficiency; installing an additional refrigeration system with heat recovery used to make hot water; and switching progressively to LED lighting at our primary processing plant
- Installing an innovative heat recovery system at our Tasmanian hatchery which recycles the heat released by the embryos during the incubation process, and
- Reducing waste to landfill by maximising the recycling of packaging and organic matter.
These works have been supported by the Australian Government who awarded Inghams a grant of $11 million to upgrade its poultry facilities to improve efficiency and water management. .
Inghams has invested in carbon offset projects in Australia and around the world that both offset our carbon emissions and provide benefits such as sustainable forestry, agriculture and food and waste management. In FY25, these projects have included:
- Australian Forests for a Cleaner Climate #1. This project in Tasmania sequesters carbon by converting an existing short rotation plantation forest to a long rotation plantation forest. Certified as Australian Carbon Credit Units.
- Poultry Litter Based Power Project in Ranga Reddy District, Andhra Pradesh. This project is a poultry litter-based power project in India. Certified Gold Standard for Global Goals.
- Vietstar municipal solid waste treatment facility. This project will reduce methane emissions by establishing and operating composting facilities to treat organic matter. Certified Gold Standard for Global Goals.
This certification is aligned to Inghams’ 2030 Sustainability Leadership Roadmap goals towards Climate Action and Planetary Health.
Climate Active is an Australian government program which enables businesses and communities to reduce their carbon emissions. The Climate Active Carbon Neutral Standard for Products and Services is a voluntary standard to manage greenhouse gas emissions, achieve carbon neutrality, and to seek Climate Active certification. It provides best practice guidance on how to measure, reduce and report emissions data for the creation, use and disposal of a product or service.
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