Contact/s:
Maria Alejandra Arias Escobar
mare@icoel.dk
ESGreenTool – A Digital Sustainability Solution for Danish Agriculture
Denmark
North temperate zone
- Calculation of current carbon footprint (CO₂ equivalents) for entire farm, in all production systems
- Farmers get a prompt overview of measures for reducing C emissions.
- Calculation of C footprint at product level.
Thematic Areas
Production System/s
Summary for Practicioners on the Main Finding(s)/Innovative solution(s)
The ESGreen Tool is a digital application developed in Denmark to assist farmers in calculating and managing the carbon footprint of their agricultural operations. Introduced in 2022, it serves as the country’s first software capable of assessing a farm’s greenhouse gas emissions and exploring potential reduction strategies. The calculation methods behind the tool are aligned with the guidelines of IPCC 2006 as the national inventory report at farm level, and the guidelines of PEF for the calculations at product level.
Key Features:
⦁ Comprehensive emission assessment: The tool evaluates emissions from various farm activities, including livestock digestion, manure management, crop residue decomposition, energy consumption, and the import of resources like feed and animals.
⦁ Scenario analysis: Farmers can model different scenarios to understand the impact of potential changes in practices, such as adjustments in feed composition, fertilizer application, or the adoption of new technologies, on their overall emissions.
⦁ Data integration: ESGreenTool integrates with existing agricultural databases, allowing for automatic data transfer and reducing manual input. This integration ensures that calculations are based on accurate and up-to-date information, specifically concerning the farm.
⦁ Product-level footprint: In its advanced version, ESGreenTool Climate 2, the application enables farmers to calculate the climate impact per unit of product, such as per kilogram of eggs, providing detailed insights into the emissions associated with specific outputs.
Summary for Practicioners in Native Language
ESGreen Tool er en digital applikation, der er udviklet i Danmark til at hjælpe landmænd med at beregne og styre deres landbrugs CO2-fodaftryk. Det blev introduceret i 2022 og er landets første software, der er i stand til at vurdere en gårds udledning af drivhusgasser og udforske potentielle reduktionsstrategier. Beregningsmetoderne bag værktøjet er i overensstemmelse med retningslinjerne fra IPCC 2006 for den nationale opgørelsesrapport på bedriftsniveau og retningslinjerne fra PEF for beregningerne på produktniveau.
Vigtige funktioner:
⦁ Omfattende emissionsvurdering: Værktøjet evaluerer udledninger fra forskellige landbrugsaktiviteter, herunder husdyrs fordøjelse, gødningshåndtering, nedbrydning af afgrøderester, energiforbrug og import af ressourcer som foder og dyr.
⦁ Scenarieanalyse: Landmænd kan modellere forskellige scenarier for at forstå virkningen af potentielle ændringer i praksis, såsom justeringer i fodersammensætning, gødningsanvendelse eller indførelse af nye teknologier, på deres samlede udledninger.
⦁ Integration af data: ESGreen Tool integreres med eksisterende landbrugsdatabaser, hvilket giver mulighed for automatisk dataoverførsel og reducerer manuelt input. Denne integration sikrer, at beregningerne er baseret på nøjagtige og opdaterede oplysninger om gården.
⦁ Fodaftryk på produktniveau: I sin avancerede version, ESGreen Tool Climate 2, gør applikationen det muligt for landmænd at beregne klimapåvirkningen pr. produktenhed, f.eks. pr. kg æg, hvilket giver detaljeret indsigt i de udledninger, der er forbundet med specifikke output.
Additional Information
The ESGreenTool, developed by SEGES Innovation and Innovation center fororganic farming, is a digital platform to calculate emission sources as part ofthe Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting. The tool uses thefarm as the system being assessed and it calculates the three most important greenhouse gases for agriculture: methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide(N₂O), and carbon dioxide (CO₂), according to the IPCC guidelines (2006).
The results are given as emissions in tons CO₂eq per year, per hectare andper kilogram of product. In addition, a relative carbon balance is calculated,which shows how much carbon is estimated to be stored on the farms land.
Part of the data is collected directly from mandatory farm registration datato the Danish government.
Calculated emission sources:
• Enteric fermentation/digestion
• Manure in barn and stock
• Manure distributed to the fields
• Turnover of crop residues
• Nitrate leaching
• Energy consumption and production of green energy
• Import of resources such as feed, straw, animals
• Carbon sequestration balance in soil
ESGreenTool is made up of two products:
1. ESGreenTool Climate, which allows farmers to calculate the climateimpact of their agricultural business (Climate 1) and the individualproduct footprint of the crops, and animals, using farm specific data(Climate 2). This enables farmers to calculate how potential changesin, for example, feed, fertilizer management, or new technology, willimpact the farm’s carbon footprint or the specific product footprintfor each unit produced. In that way, the tool supports the farmer indeveloping a concrete plan to reduce the farm’s greenhouse gasemissions. Currently, ESGreenTool is a crucial tool, since Danish government has decided to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural sector by 55-65 percent by 2030.
2. ESGreenTool Report provides a setting for farmers to document theirefforts in the areas of environment, governance, and social aspects. Itis a template developed for agriculture, with data points relevant tothe farming business. It is easy to select and customize 100+ datapoints based on relevant matters for the individual farm (e.g., greenhouse gas emissions, working conditions, biodiversity, governance,animal welfare etc.). When the template is completed, farmers caneasily share ESG data with their financial partners or relevant companies in their value chain, and they can customize the final report according to their demand for ESG data. The output is in pdf format atfarm and product level.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
While the ESGreenTool offers valuable insights into sustainability and climate impact on farms, there are some potential downsides:
1. Farmers need to input detailed information about their operations,which can be time-consuming and require a learning curve.
2. The tool integrates with Mark Online, which may limit flexibility forfarms that do not already use SEGES systems.
3. The tool has a license fee and depending on the pricing model,smaller farms may find this a limiting factor.
4. If farm data is incomplete or incorrect, the tool’s sustainability assessments and CO₂ calculations may not provide a fully accuratepicture.
5. As it is developed in Denmark, some of its methodologies or assumptions may not be directly applicable to farms in other countries with different regulations or climatic regions.