WA dairy to become a global leader

WA dairy to become a global leader

Nestled in the forest of Northcliffe Western Australia is a small family owned dairy company with a goal that is as big as the giant Karri trees that surround them – to be the global leader in ethical dairy farming. Since Bannister Downs began processing and selling their own milk they have been known for their use of sustainable packaging. Now they plan to do so much more, and this time, over the whole supply chain. We were invited down to the farm by Sue and Mat to help them to achieve their ambitious sustainability goals. You may be wondering where on earth would you start? Our stepwise approach breaks it down into four achievable stages. Step 1 – Map After working on the carbon footprint study for Dairy Australia we gained a thorough understanding of every aspect of the dairy supply chain so this part was easy. Step 2 – Measure Before diving into a full life cycle assessment study (which includes a wide range of environmental impacts) it often is wise to start by assessing the carbon footprint first. For Sue and Mat, we first calculated their carbon footprint from ‘paddock to dairy parlour’. Once we had a measure on their existing performance we could investigate the next step. Step 3 – Manage Over the years Sue and her team developed a list of potential solutions and they were excited to investigate those first. These included the use of solar and even manure power to provide their electricity and hot water. Throughout this exercise one opportunity stood out – a solar system for the Perth depot. To demonstrate the savings this could achieve we conducted a detailed  solar...