In food and agriculture, emissions concentrate upstream. Cultivation, livestock and land-use change account for most of the total, while processing-plant energy — the part the company directly controls — often lands in the single digits to low teens as a percentage.
Challenges specific to the sector
Data originates with large numbers of smallholders
Unlike industries with a few dozen suppliers, an agricultural supply chain may involve thousands of farmers. Plot-level data collection is unrealistic at the outset. What works is a principled sampling design extrapolated using existing cultivated-area records.
Non-CO₂ emissions carry disproportionate weight
Methane from paddy rice and livestock, and nitrous oxide from nitrogen fertiliser, have far higher global warming potential than carbon dioxide. The GWP values and the IPCC assessment vintage you adopt therefore move the final figure materially — and a verifier will ask you to state both explicitly.
Seasonal and weather-driven volatility
Yield per rai varies with rainfall, so emissions intensity per unit of output swings even when practices have not changed. Year-on-year comparisons always need context reported alongside them.
What works
- Start with the three to five raw materials that represent the bulk of purchased volume, rather than attempting full coverage at once.
- Design sampling to reflect real variation across plot size, region and cultivation practice — and document why the design is appropriate.
- Use emission factors suited to the Thai context. Overseas databases may not reflect local cultivation practices or grid mix.
- Separate land-use change emissions explicitly, because that is precisely what overseas buyers and deforestation regulations scrutinise.
Why it pays to get right early
Major buyers in Europe and Japan are beginning to write raw-material emissions data into contract terms. Producers with verified data in hand negotiate from a visibly stronger position — and in many cases the same dataset opens the door to agricultural carbon credit programmes.
This article is published for general information and does not constitute professional advice on any specific matter. To discuss your organisation’s situation, please contact our team.
