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Climate solutions provider 3Degrees has launched the Low Carbon Fertilizer Alliance, a collaborative initiative aiming to help reduce emissions in agricultural supply chains.

The alliance brings together organisations in the food and beverage industries as well as the apparel sector. It is supported by founding member Mars alongside three additional Fortune 200 food companies. CF Industries, a US-based producer of nitrogen fertilisers, is joining as the founding manufacturing member.

Fertiliser production emits 2.6 gigatonnes of CO2e annually, more than the shipping and aviation industries combined. Existing technologies can significantly reduce emissions from fertiliser manufacturing, but companies can face barriers to accessing these lower-carbon options, 3Degrees said in a statement announcing the alliance’s launch.

The alliance aims to provide a scalable approach to decarbonising fertiliser manufacturing by funding emissions reduction initiatives within the agriculture value chain.

CF Industries will complete a new nitric acid plant emissions abatement project at its manufacturing facility in Verdigris, Oklahoma, US, supported by funding to be secured through the alliance. The project is expected to reduce emissions at the site by 600,000 metric tons CO2e annually, beginning this year. Nitric acid is a raw material of urea ammonium nitrate solution, the most commonly used fertiliser in the US.

John Bourne, senior director of agriculture at 3Degrees, said: “While fertiliser manufacturing emissions represent over 20% of the emissions footprint of many agricultural commodities, the challenge is that these emissions are far upstream, making them difficult for any single company to finance and claim. This is why collective action is essential.”

The alliance’s technical working group has developed the Reporting and Claims Guidance V1.0, offering a framework that companies can use to integrate the impact of interventions supported by the alliance into their sustainability strategies and reports.

Autumn Fox, global sustainability director at Mars, commented: “We appreciate the approach to accelerating decarbonisation across the fertilizer production system. By working together, we ensure that our accounting for upstream emission reductions is credible and aligned with our peers, while moving the needle on decarbonising the inputs that farmers rely on.”

The alliance is open for membership to companies that manufacture, trade or sell products made with agricultural goods produced in North America.