See What
Comes Out
In The Wash
Cargill's Carbon Cloak: The RegenConnect™ Greenwash
In today's climate-conscious landscape, companies like Cargill showcase their commitment to sustainability through initiatives like its RegenConnect™ programme. However, a closer examination reveals a significant gap between their grand claims and the harsh reality of their overall environmental impact.
Cargill’s latest green initiative, the RegenConnect™ programme, seems to be yet another case of greenwashing. Although it claims to promote regenerative farming, doubts about its sincerity persist. RegenConnect™ connects farmers with carbon markets, offering financial incentives for adopting regenerative practices. However, this merely allows businesses to offset carbon on their balance sheets instead of making real emissions reductions. The programme’s supposed efforts to “mitigate climate change” lack transparency and concrete evidence.
Cargill has been widely criticised for exploitative practices leading to deforestation, biodiversity loss, and a blatant disregard for environmental sustainability. The company has also failed to take ambitious action to cut its massive climate footprint. In 2023, Cargill reported to Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) that its annual emissions were 244 million metric tonnes — over half of all international aviation greenhouse gas emissions, which totaled 425 million metric tonnes. Investigations last year exposed Cargill’s grain supply chain’s links to human rights abuses and Amazon deforestation, contradicting the company’s promises to eliminate harmful practices. Its 2014 pledge to remove deforestation from their supply chain, once praised, now underscores a pattern of greenwashing.
Despite positioning its CEO as a sustainability thought leader, Cargill consistently lags in adopting policies to protect workers and the environment. This history of broken promises highlights the urgent need for transparency and accountability.
Read Mighty Earth’s article about why Cargill is the worst company in the world.
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