Meat, Methane & Mitsubishi: How to Stop 30% of GHG Emissions

Mitsubishi, known best for being one of the world's largest automobile manufacturers, has announced a strategic partnership with CH4 Global to help it scale a product which promises to shake up global agriculture.
CH4 Global, an Australian start-up founded in 2019, specialises in agricultural sustainability. Its flagship product is called Methane Tamer and, like many game-changing inventions, it is beautifully simple.
This powdered supplement, designed to be mixed into livestock feed, can reduce the amount of methane produced by farm animals by up to 90%.
Mitsubishi's job is to bring Methane Tamer to the world.
The issue with methane
So, why might Methane Tamer be so important for the agriculture industry?
Simply put, around 30% of the increase in global temperatures can be attributed to methane emissions, the majority of which come from the flatulence of livestock reared for farming.
Methane is also one of the most harmful greenhouse gases for Earth's atmosphere. All in all, it traps heat at a rate 80 times greater than carbon dioxide across a 20-year stretch.
Despite the rising popularity of plant-based diets in some countries, global demand for meat continues to soar as populations continue to grow. As a result, methane emissions remain on an upward trajectory.
Global leaders appreciate the urgency of this problem.
“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,” explains Inger Anderson, Executive Director at the United Nations' Environmental Program (UNEP).
The plans for Methane Tamer
Methane Tamer is a plant-based powder which uses Asparagopsis seaweed as its primary ingredient. CH4 Global has tested its product rigorously and has found that, if used as recommended, it can cut enteric methane emissions by a whopping 90%.
But how does it work?
“It's a very easy product to use that is dust free, easy to handle, mixes well with feed and cattle like it,” explains Heath Tiller, Principle Operator at HB Rural, an Australian farming company that has worked closely with CH4 throughout the R&D process.
While the supplement has proven effective in trials, scaling up production is the next significant hurdle.
That's where Mitsubishi's global supply chain and invaluable expertise will come in handy.
Mitsubishi has committed to helping CH4 navigate regulations in the Asia and Pacific market, to help it increase production of its Asparagopsis seaweed feedstock and to help it boost its commercial adoption in markets around the world.
“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.
An initial focus on Australia and Japan
The collaboration kicks off in Australia and Japan, where Mitsubishi will bring Methane Tamer to market en masse.
Japan, with its millions of cattle, presents a substantial opportunity for methane mitigation in livestock farming. Bringing a new product to market inevitably involves jumping through several regulatory hoops and Mitsubishi's assistance will be essential to CH4's growth in markets like Japan, where Mitsubishi is based.
How to ramp up production
The sustainable cultivation of Asparagopsis, the core ingredient in Methane Tamer, is another important part of the partnership. Mitsubishi's vast experience in aquaculture is instrumental in identifying and establishing potential production sites throughout Southeast Asia.
The duo's commitment to economic and environmental sustainability is captured in CH4 Global's EcoPark cultivation system, designed to maintain profitability without relying on subsidies.
A global impact?
The collaboration between Mitsubishi and CH4 Global reflects a significant intersection of environmental responsibility and industrial innovation.
In regions like Australia and Japan, where adherence to international climate targets is stringent, Methane Tamer offers a viable solution to a pressing global issue.
Mitsubishi's role crystallises the importance of strategic partnerships in achieving scalable and sustainable climate solutions in agriculture and beyond.
Although the initiative is only focused on the Asia-Pacific region for now, the ambitions of CH4 Global are unmistakably global. With the agricultural sector a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, scalable interventions are crucial.
“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, pinpointing the critical importance of their methane reduction technology.
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