Decarbonization

Reductions That Count: A Scope 3 Reduction Playbook for Food Companies

October 20, 2026

Reductions That Count: A Scope 3 Reduction Playbook for Food Companies

Most food companies have Scope 3 targets. Far fewer can show reductions against them: only 56% are on track for Scope 3, compared with 69% for their own operations (PwC, 2026).

The problem is usually the baseline. Most Scope 3 baselines are built on industry averages, which describe a typical supplier rather than the ones a company actually buys from. When a real supplier switches to renewable energy or changes its farming practices, the average doesn't move, so the reduction never shows up in its customer's numbers.

Replacing those averages with supplier-verified data changes that, and is the most critical place to start when looking to reduce your scope 3 emissions. Once your baseline reflects real supply chain practices, genuine improvements can be counted.

Our new white paper, Reductions That Count, lays out a practical playbook for getting from targets to reductions you can defend. Inside:

  • A seven-step playbook, from finding where emissions concentrate to reporting planned versus achieved initiatives
  • The data ladder, from global averages to forward-looking product carbon footprints (PCFs)
  • What ESRS, SBTi, the GHG Protocol, and other frameworks now expect
  • Two case studies, from a global retailer and a CPG company

Download the white paper: Reductions That Count.