Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Corporate Climate Strategy for Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc.

Abstract

Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. (OSC) is a farmer-owned cranberry cooperative with over 700 grower-owners throughout the United States, Canada, and Chile. As the company builds out a comprehensive climate strategy, OSC enlisted the support of a graduate student team at University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability to: i. Conduct a Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions accounting of OSC’s operations in 2019 to determine its baseline carbon footprint and preliminary Scope 3 data collection and analysis of OSC Farms ii. Research emissions reduction target-setting options and develop a business case for adopting such commitments iii. Identify and benchmark competitor climate commitments and public communications iv. Identify potential GHG emissions mitigation opportunities and implementation strategies Cranberries are a specialty crop and are relatively sensitive to changes in weather and climate. Climate change will lead to earlier and warmer spring temperatures (particularly in North America), which will lead to earlier flowering of the cranberry bud. This will increase risk of crop destruction from a late frost. Although there is currently a surplus in the cranberry market, premature flowering could become a consistent issue which could ultimately impact entire regions of OSC farmers. Hotter summers can lead to berry scalding, which leads to a less marketable and less attractive product. Pests will become more resilient with warmer temperatures, and this could lead to an increased infestation of insects such as False Armyworm caterpillars and cranberry weevils. This may lead to lower crop yields and greater pesticide expenses. Precipitation is also expected to become more variable. Intense summer rains could lead to fruit rot, and the increased risk of drought could lead to requiring more irrigation and water consumption, which will lead to greater costs incurred by the farmers. Some regions are already experiencing these impacts, but these experiences are expected to be commonplace in North America by 2045.