Madrid, 28 November 2023. Mesta, a company created by Pascual Innoventures and 7r, and Carbon2Nature, a new firm launched by Iberdrola to reduce the global carbon footprint through nature-based solutions, join forces to promote decarbonisation in the primary sector. They will reduce methane emissions from the enteric fermentation process in livestock farming through a strategic alliance which, in turn, will provide strong social and economic support for the agri-food industry.
Thanks to this agreement, the two companies will co-develop an innovative pilot project focused on acting on methane emissions, a greenhouse gas with an impact 80 times greater than CO2 over a period of 20 years and a permanence in the atmosphere of more than a decade. In particular, the project has a first phase of implementation where it is estimated that 600 tons of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) emitted by the cows of several farms supplying Pascual will be eliminated. The initiative is designed to evolve and expand to other livestock farms with the aim of exceeding 5,000 tonnes of CO2 avoided by 2025.
The program is based on improving the cows’ feed, always maintaining their productivity and wellbeing. Dairy cows will receive precision feeding through a specific supplement that reduces between 10% and 20% their methane emissions from enteric fermentation.
These reductions will be certified through an accredited entity and will be registered as carbon credits that can be purchased by companies committed to accelerating the decarbonization of the primary sector. These credits will be traceable back to their origin thanks to Trinity AgTech’s blockchain technology and will receive certification from EQA.
In this respect Diego Paradinas, CEO of MESTA points out that “this alliance between two leading companies, which share the same business philosophy, allows us to move forward in the construction of a more prosperous and sustainable future. We have made a joint commitment, and this is none other than positioning ourselves as drivers of change.”
For his part, Miguel Ángel García Tamargo, director of Carbon2Nature, points out that, “this project is part of our innovation line to support emerging decarbonization solutions with great potential to scale thanks to carbon finance. Together with a reference in the dairy sector such as Pascual, this pilot allows us to address an important source of emissions, difficult to eliminate and which, to date, has received little research and funding. Its success will bring significant benefits to the agricultural sector, helping to decouple its climate impact from production.”
Currently, the project is implemented in six farms located in the provinces of León, Lugo, Palencia and Pontevedra which, in addition to contributing significantly to reducing the impact of the activity of the agri-food sector, also serve as social and economic support or for their local communities. In this way, the project is also positioned as a driving tool for the transformation and revitalization of the rural environment.
The Power of Collaboration to Accelerate the Green Transition
In a context of climate emergency, it is essential to work together with leading companies that share values and objectives, as is the case of the strategic alliance reached by Mesta and Carbon2Nature, which are backed by leading companies in their sectors and with a firm commitment to sustainability.
Thus, in the case of Carbon2Nature, the new company promoted by Iberdrola was created with the mission of developing high-impact emissions reduction and carbon capture projects that reduce the global carbon footprint, improve biodiversity, and promote a sustainable economy.
A purpose that it shares with Mesta, a company of Pascual Innoventures and 7R Ventures, which has become the first platform in Spain aimed at companies that want to reduce or offset their emissions with local projects with short-term impact.
Thanks to the experience, the high degree of specialization and the firm commitment of both companies to local financing and the implementation of highly traceable actions, the project is expected to evolve substantially in the coming years.
About Pascual Innoventures
Pascual Innoventures is Pascual’s open innovation arm and immerses itself in the entrepreneurial ecosystem to create alliances with startups that share the same philosophy; anticipate the world’s food needs and present it to society. It’s about providing the consumer with a memorable experience while also contributing to the survival of our beautiful planet.
It was born as a different model of Corporate Venture Capital to identify and develop new growth and business opportunities. It is a commitment of the Pascual family, created as an independent company, which works autonomously, more agilely, but shares the same vision and values as the company. It was born as a different model of Corporate Venture Capital to identify and develop new growth and business opportunities. It is a commitment of the Pascual family, created as an independent company, which works autonomously, more agilely, but shares the same vision and values as the company.
We have 4 pillars: Explore, Invent, Invest and Accelerate. Our goal is to help startups develop to grow hand in hand. We are not only an investment vehicle, but also an accelerator partner that will accompany them throughout the process, from the development of the idea or business to the search for other investors.
From Pascual Innoventures came Mylkcubator, the first global incubator focused on the detection and development of highly innovative startups specialized in the application of new technologies to the value chain of the dairy industry, which is already in its second edition.
About Carbon2Nature
Carbon2Nature is a company 100% owned by Iberdrola that promotes Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) projects to reduce the global carbon footprint, promote biodiversity and foster a sustainable economy. Its objective is to capture and fix more than 60 million tonnes of CO2 in natural sinks thanks to the promotion of ecosystem conservation and restoration projects on more than 100,000 hectares, mainly forestry, but also coastal or agricultural ecosystems.
Carbon2Nature harnesses the potential of carbon credit markets, driving the development of in-house or collaborative projects that will generate high quality carbon credits, which Carbon2Nature will make available to its customers to support them on their path to net zero emissions, complementing ambitious decarbonisation strategies.
