Mitsubishi: Slashing GHG Emissions by 90% with Cattle Feed
Mitsubishi is recognized as a leading international automobile maker, but did you know the company is working to transform agriculture?
By working with CH4 Global, Mitsubishi is aiming to scale a revolutionary product poised to transform global agriculture significantly.
Australian startup CH4 Global focuses on agricultural sustainability. Its premier product, Methane Tamer, epitomises transformative inventions through its remarkable simplicity.
This product, a powdered additive for livestock feed, has the capacity to slash methane emissions from farm animals by as much as 90%.
Mitsubishi's job? To bring Methane Tamer to the world.
The critical methane isssue
Why is Methane Tamer a game-changer for the agricultural sector?
Essentially, methane emissions, which contribute about 30% to global warming, overwhelmingly emanate from farm livestock's digestive processes.
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas and traps atmospheric heat far more effectively — 80 times more over two decades — than carbon dioxide does.
Although vegan and vegetarian diets have gained traction in some regions, worldwide meat consumption is climbing owing to population growth, meaning methane emissions are not just a persisting issue but are increasing.Global leaders are recognising this urgent environmental challenge.
“Cutting methane is the strongest lever we have to slow climate change over the next 25 years and complements necessary efforts to reduce carbon dioxide,” says Inger Anderson, Executive Director at the United Nations' Environmental Program (UNEP).
Scaling Methane Tamer
Methane Tamer consists of a plant-based powder, with Asparagopsis seaweed as its key ingredient.
CH4 Global's rigorous testing has shown that when incorporated into an animal's diet as recommended, it can curtail up to 90% of enteric methane emissions.“It's a very easy product to use that is dust free, easy to handle, mixes well with feed and cattle like it,” Heath Tiller explains.
Heath is Principle Operator at HB Rural, an Australian farming company that has worked closely with CH4 throughout the R&D process.
While the supplement has demonstrated efficacy in pilot studies, the challenge now is to ramp up production to meet potential demand.
Mitsubishi's comprehensive global supply network and expertise are vital to overcoming this challenge.
The company is committed to aiding CH4 in navigating regulations across Asia and the Pacific, increasing production of Asparagopsis seaweed and bolstering commercial uptake globally.
“This partnership with Mitsubishi Corporation marks another significant milestone in our mission to achieve gigaton-scale emissions reductions by 2035,” says Steve Meller, CEO at CH4 Global.
Focus on Australia and Japan
The collaboration begins in earnest in Australia and Japan, where Mitsubishi aims to introduce Methane Tamer extensively.
With its substantial cattle industry, Japan presents a major opportunity for reducing methane emissions in livestock.
Mitsubishi's assistance in regulatory navigation will prove indispensable for CH4's expansion in markets like Japan, where Mitsubishi is headquartered.
Identifying and developing potential cultivation sites for Asparagopsis across Southeast Asia taps into Mitsubishi's vast aquaculture expertise, a crucial aspect of the partnership.
Both parties are committed to environmentally and economically sustainable practices, a commitment encapsulated in CH4 Global's EcoPark cultivation system, which is designed to be profitable without relying on subsidies.
The importance of the partnership
This partnership highlights a crucial intersection between environmental responsibility and industrial innovation.
In regions like Australia and Japan, stringent adherence to international climate targets makes Methane Tamer a particularly pertinent solution to a pressing global challenge.Mitsubishi's strategic role emphasises the importance of such collaborations in achieving scalable and sustainable solutions in agriculture and beyond.
Although the focus is currently on the Asia-Pacific region, the ambitions of CH4 Global and the agricultural sector's significant role in greenhouse gas emissions underscore the critical need for scalable solutions like Methane Tamer.
“Humanity's best chance for long-term survival as a species is achieving gigatonne-level CO2-e reductions by 2030. That's what Global CH4 is singularly focused on,” Steve explains.
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