{"id":9676,"date":"2016-11-03T22:22:36","date_gmt":"2016-11-04T02:22:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digital.hbs.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/dean-foods-udderly-sustainable\/"},"modified":"2016-11-04T16:10:14","modified_gmt":"2016-11-04T20:10:14","slug":"dean-foods-udderly-sustainable","status":"publish","type":"hck-submission","link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/dean-foods-udderly-sustainable\/","title":{"rendered":"Dean Foods: Udderly Sustainable?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dean Foods \u2013 Udderly Sustainable?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Will household brands like Dean be impacted by climate change?<\/p>\n

Dean Foods is the largest processor and \u201cdirect-to-store\u201d distributor of fresh milk and other dairy products in the United States with net 2015 sales of $8.1 billion\u00a0(1). Raw milk and butterfat, the primary raw material in Dean\u2019s products, are sourced directly from cooperatives and independent farmers across the country\u00a0(1). Prices for raw milk and butterfat are established by federal and state governments\u00a0(1). As such, the cost of goods produced for Dean Foods is directly dependent on both farming conditions and yield as well as government regulation. In addition, costs of a fossil fuel based resin used in plastic bottle packaging and diesel fuel consumed in the \u201cdirect-to-store delivery\u201d system are subject to market price fluctuations\u00a0(1). As profits are highly contingent on prices of raw milk and other commodities, Dean is financially exposed to external factors, including climate change and environmental regulations. Will Dean be able to sustain climate change long-term?<\/p>\n

How does climate change impact raw materials? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Rising greenhouse gas concentration is leading to rising global temperature as well as changing weather patterns. Extreme drought has swept the western United States since 2013 and many nations around the world are experiencing pressure on water supply\u00a0(2). Global demand for water may outstrip demand by 40% by 2030\u00a0(2).<\/p>\n

Rising temperatures and unpredictable weather patterns impact yield in milk production. According a 2014 USDA Economic Research Service report, dairy cows are sensitive to heat stress and increasing temperatures can result in decreased milk output (3). To mitigate heat stress, farmers must incur capital costs to provide shading and cooling structures\u00a0(3). In 2010, heat stress led to S1.2 billion in lost production for the entire dairy sector (3). Furthermore, the USDA estimates that, assuming an increase of 1.45 to 2.37 \u00b0F by 2030 and adjusting for milk prices, may lower producer welfare by $42-$108 million for in milk production costs (3). In addition to rising temperatures, drought conditions may impact water supply and feed availability, which may, in turn, impact milk production (4). Decreases in production efficiency resulting in supply shortage or cost increase may transitively impact the cost of goods sold for Dean.<\/p>\n

Dean would be exposed to future regulations limiting greenhouse gas emissions, if implemented. Cows produce significant amounts of methane as a byproduct of milk production. Dairy methane emissions accounted for 11% of total US methane emissions in 2013 (5). Any imposed restriction on future emissions of methane, therefore, may impact the supply and price of raw milk and buttermilk. Similarly, cost of resins used in packaging and diesel used in the extensive distribution system are susceptible to fluctuation with changes in fossil fuel pricing.<\/p>\n

What is Dean doing to combat climate change?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Dean has already begun to reduce its overall footprint by improving emissions, reducing water usage, and minimizing waste (see\u00a0Exhibit<\/strong> 1<\/strong>). Dean\u2019s active improvements to reduce its own negative impact across its plants helps to slow the climate change that may ultimately put the business at risk. As of 2014, Dean had reduced their absolute greenhouse gas emissions by 25% and their greenhouse gas emissions per gallon of product by 9% relative to a 2007 baseline (6). Furthermore, Dean has implemented renewable energy alternatives in several locations, including biogas plants in Franklin and Lynn, Massachusetts to convert methane from waste water into electricity, as well as solar energy in Rensselaer, N.Y. Both renewable solutions contribute directly to reduction in greenhouse gas emissions\u00a0(6).<\/p>\n

Exhibit 1: Environmental Sustainability Metrics (6)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"dean-table-1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Dean has also taken action to work directly with farmers to improve methane emission from livestock. In 2012, Dean Partnered with AgPower Partners to build an anaerobic digester at Big Sky West Dairy farm near Gooding, Idaho to capture animal waste and convert methane into renewable energy\u00a0(6). This initiative is an example of a method to reduce the overall footprint of milk production as well as lower the risk of farmers to increased costs due to any future emissions restrictions or regulations, if implemented.<\/p>\n

What else can Dean do? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

As milk yield and price is susceptible to water availability for feed and animal health, Dean may benefit from reviewing potential impact of water shortage and working throughout its entire supply chain to develop risk mitigations (4).<\/p>\n

Dean has already experimented with pilot hybrid refrigerated trucks as a potential reduction in diesel consumption (6). \u00a0Additionally, Dean may evaluate other efficiencies like replacement of fossil fuel based resins in bottle production to reduce dependency on fossil fuel prices.<\/p>\n

Despite significant progress and attention in reducing its own manufacturing footprint, Dean may continue to decrease exposure to climate change through innovative farming solutions and advances in packaging and distribution. The price of our milk may depend on it!<\/p>\n

(798 Words)<\/p>\n

References<\/h1>\n
    \n
  1. Dean Foods. 2015 Annual Report. http:\/\/www.deanfoods.com\/pdfs\/annualreport.pdf<\/a>, accessed November 2016.<\/li>\n
  2. Henderson, Rebecca M. et al. \u201cClimate Change in 2016: Implications for Business,\u201d HBS No. N2-317-032\u00a0\u00a0 Boston: Harvard Business School\u00a0\u00a0 Publishing, 2016.<\/li>\n
  3. Key, Nigel et. al. \u201cClimate Change, Heat Stress, and U.S. Dairy Production.\u201d USDA Economic Research Report, September 2014, http:\/\/www.ers.usda.gov\/webdocs\/publications\/err175\/49163_err175_summary.pdf<\/a>, accessed November 2016.<\/li>\n
  4. \u201cDean Foods report on water risk mitigation in dairy supply chain,\u201d Ceres, https:\/\/www.ceres.org\/investor-network\/resolutions\/dean-foods-report-on-water-risk-mitigation-in-dairy-supply-chain<\/a>, accessed November 2016.<\/li>\n
  5. \u201cReducing the Emissions Intensity of Livestock production: Case Studies of Success,\u201d Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases, http:\/\/globalresearchalliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/11\/USA-national-dairy-CH4.pdf<\/a>, accessed November 2016.<\/li>\n
  6. Dean Foods, \u201cEnvironmental Responsibility.\u201d http:\/\/responsibility.deanfoods.com\/environmental-sustainability<\/a>, accessed November 2016<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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