Sustainability

At MBRF, sustainability is more than a commitment: it is a daily practice that guides our decisions and actions. It is present in our culture, our business strategy, and the way we conduct our activities.  

As one of the largest food companies in the world, we strive to generate a positive impact throughout our value chain – from farm to table – by promoting responsible, inclusive, and regenerative practices.  

  

Sustainability Governance 

Our Board of Directors is supported by Sustainability Committees that monitor strategies, results, and trends, with a dedicated department for managing risks, opportunities, and ESG performance. To this end, we rely on commitments, metrics, indicators, and short-, medium-, and long-term goals aligned with material themes.

Sustainability Platform 

Through the Sustainability Platform, we present our commitments based on six strategic pillars, which translate into indicators, metrics, and short-, medium-, and long-term goals aligned with the most relevant business issues, according to our materiality matrix.  

MBRF has invested in sustainability with strict goals, monitoring the supply chain to reduce deforestation, using renewable energy, supporting regenerative agriculture, and developing technologies to control carbon emissions, with the ultimate target of leading the transition to a low-carbon food chain. We direct these efforts through our Sustainability Platform, focusing on six major themes: climate change, sustainable sourcing, natural resources, waste and packaging, animal welfare, and social impact.

Our Strategic Pillars

Climate change

We focus our efforts on identifying, assessing,
and influencing actions to mitigate and adapt to the impacts
of climate change throughout the value chain.

Our emissions are tracked and monitored
according to the following scopes:

Related to direct greenhouse gas emissions
from sources under the organization’s control,
such as fossil fuels used in operations.

Related to indirect greenhouse gas emissions
from the purchase of energy in the form of fuel,
heat, and electricity.

Related to indirect GHG emissions
from other sources in the value chain, including
emissions associated with the production of raw materials
and animal transportation, among others.

Seeking to mitigate climate change effects, we are committed to reducing emissions and building a low-carbon economy, with climate targets validated by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). We operate on four fronts:

Goals validated by SBTi 

Our climate challenges are aligned with the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C °C, as established in the Paris Agreement. We were the first beef company in the Americas to have its climate targets approved by the SBTi in 2022. We were also the first in the food sector in Brazil to have FLAG targets validated by the SBTi in 2024.

Commitments

Sustainable Supply Chain

We have strengthened our connection with the supply chain, bringing together initiatives focused on the responsible procurement of raw materials and the engagement of producers with the best sustainability practices. 

To meet our commitment to a 100% deforestation- and conversion-free supply chain by 2025, MBRF invests in the traceability of its main commodities, maintaining policies that establish socio-environmental criteria to be followed by our business partners.

  • Commitment
    Commitment

    To ensure that 100% of the grain supply chain
    – direct and indirect – in the Amazon, Cerrado,
    and other regions is deforestation – free.

The Green+ Program stands out among our support initiatives by promoting: 

  • Financial access mechanisms for farmers;
  • Technical support for the implementation of technologies that bring production closer to conservation;
  • Supplier monitoring (monitoring 100% of direct and indirect suppliers);

Highlights

  • Monitoring 100% of grain suppliers in Brazilian biomes, bringing this commitment forward by one year;
  • Monitoring 100% of direct cattle suppliers. Regarding indirect suppliers, we achieved 88.8% monitoring in the Amazon, 76.9% in the Cerrado region, and 74.9% in other biomes.
Natural Resources

We focus our efforts on water and biodiversity, both in our operations and throughout the value chain, aiming for best management practices and reducing impacts on the environment and society.

Waste and Packaging

We promote the efficient use of resources at all production stages, from product and packaging innovation and design, through the use of byproducts in the industry, management of solid waste generated in operations and post-consumption, encouraging circularity and the valorization of inputs.

Animal Welfare

We focus on animal care both in the supply chain and in our own operations. All our activities follow the most stringent guidelines and national and international standards to ensure humane slaughter.  

Recognizing animals’ ability to feel, we adopt high standards of animal welfare throughout our production chain. We have several commitments related to the raising of poultry, swine, and cattle, guided by national and international guidelines to ensure proper care and humane slaughter, both in our operations and throughout the supply chain. 

Commitments

Have 100% of cattle slaughterhouses audited to meet the NAMI Animal Welfare Standards by 2025.

 

 

Ensure the non-use of antibiotic growth promoters in the animal husbandry chain. 

Zero tolerance for animal cruelty, whether through abuse or neglect. 

Ensure that 100% of pigs raised at BRF are not identified by mutilations. 

Ensure that 100% of pigs raised at BRF do not undergo tooth cutting or grinding. 

Ensure that 100% of male pigs are not surgically castrated. 

Ensure that 100% of birds in the integration system globally are cage-free. 

Certify 100% of manufacturing units for animal welfare. 

Use only cage-free eggs globally. 

Ensure the use of analgesia for 100% of pig tail docking procedures. 

Use environmental enrichment in 100% of poultry and broiler pig integration. 

Implement 100% of collective gestation stalls for sows by 2026. Starting in 2023, all new sow housing projects will be a free-range model. 

We respect the 5 inherent freedoms of animals: We ensure that during the handling of cattle, poultry, and swine – from the farm to the production units – the five inherent freedoms of animals are guaranteed, as determined by the Farm Animal Welfare Council, an independent British council that is a global reference on this issue: nutrition, health, environment, mental state, and behavior.

Social Impact

We promote a plural and inclusive work environment, with a focus on welfare social responsibility and strengthening communities. Our commitment to social responsibility also extends to the value chain, through the re-inclusion of suppliers.

We collaborate with the community through the MBRF Institute, responsible for coordinating the company’s social impact investments and projects. Aiming to promote more just and sustainable communities, it acts as an accelerator of positive social impact, driving initiatives in the “Food that Transforms” and “Education for the Future” areas, and managing the BRF Volunteers Program.

Over its 13 years of operation, the BRF Institute has impacted the lives of more than 3.6 million people, mobilized 40,000 volunteers, and conducted more than 3,400 social initiatives in 70 cities across Brazil.

Rankings and indexes

MBRF’s sustainability initiatives have received consistent recognition in various rankings and indexes, highlighting the company’s commitment and considerable progress in recent years toward sustainable development.

We achieved a leadership rating (A-) in two of the three categories assessed by CDP: Water Security and Forests (palm oil, soy, timber). 

We are a leader in the poultry and swine segment in the Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW), the most important global ranking for farm animal welfare management. 

We were named the 4th best company in ESG/Socioenvironmental Performance in the Food and Beverage sector in the 2024 Época NEGÓCIOS 360° Yearbook. 

In the 20th edition of the Best in Agribusiness Awards, promoted by Globo Rural, we advanced to 4th place overall and in the Poultry and Pork segment, moving up one position compared to 2023. We won the Ethics, Integrity, and Compliance category with our Integrity Week case study. 

We achieved, for the third consecutive year, the Gold category in the ranking maintained by Mercy for Animals, which analyzes companies’ best practices in animal welfare. 

We ranked 2nd in the “Publicly Held Company” category and were recognized for corporate governance in the Abrasca Annual Report Award. Organized by the Brazilian Association of Publicly Held Companies (Abrasca) in partnership with B3, the award recognizes the best Annual Reports and corporate reporting practices in Brazil. 

We ranked 12th among the 339 companies in the Processed Foods (Packaged Foods) sector evaluated in the index. 

 

We are the best-performing company among chicken producers and second among pork producers in the Coller FAIRR Protein Producer Index, from the FAIRR Initiative. 

We achieved, for the 15th consecutive time, the Gold Seal of the Brazilian GHG Protocol Program, the highest level of certification granted to companies that meet transparency criteria in publishing greenhouse gas emissions inventories. 

We were included in the Corporate Sustainability Index (ISE) for the 18th year and the Carbon Efficient Index (ICO2) for the 14th time, both from B3. 

 

We received a Triple A rating from the CDP, with a maximum score (A) in all three CDP categories: “Climate Change,” “Water Security”, and “Forests”. 

We are one of the highest-ranked beef protein companies in the Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW). 

We are the highest-ranked company in the beef protein commodity in the Forest 500, a global ranking for combating deforestation. 

We earned a gold seal from the Brazilian GHG Protocol program, the highest level of certification granted to companies that meet all transparency criteria in publishing greenhouse gas emissions inventories. 

For the fifth consecutive year, we were included in the B3 Carbon Efficient Index (ICO2) portfolio. 

Integrated Reports

MBRF’s Integrated Reports reflect our commitment to transparency, corporate responsibility, and sustainable value creation. In those reports we present the year’s initiatives, achievements, and challenges in our value creation journey and our Sustainability Platform in a clear and structured manner.