Our Environment

topo_environment

Energy Management

(GRI 3-3, GRI 302-1, GRI 302-3, GRI 302-4)

(SASB FB-MP-110a.2, FB-MP-130a.1)

Energy is a critical input across our value chain, from upstream commodity production to processing and distribution. Effective energy management is not only essential for optimizing resource use and reducing operational costs, but also for mitigating our climate impact and strengthening long-term business resilience in a rapidly evolving global landscape. We aspire to drive continuous improvement in energy efficiency and transition to cleaner energy sources to contribute to a more sustainable food system.


Managing Energy Consumption Across Our Operations

JBS’s energy management strategy is guided by our global sustainability aspirations, internal policies, and adherence to applicable regulations. Through a systematic approach, we aim to optimize energy consumption, minimize GHG emissions, and expand the use of renewable energy sources across our global footprint. Our advanced monitoring systems, facility-specific initiatives, and collaborative platforms work to foster innovation and knowledge sharing around energy management. As a material topic, we address energy management through a comprehensive, four-pronged strategy:


Identifying opportunities
We continuously identify energy-saving opportunities by fostering best practice sharing between facilities, implementing advanced measurement and monitoring systems, and conducting regular energy-focused site audits. These efforts allow us to benchmark performance, uncover inefficiencies, and prioritize high-impact projects.
Implementing behavioral improvements
By establishing energy key performance indicators (KPIs) at each JBS facility, we empower teams to adopt no- or low-cost behavioral changes that drive energy savings and reduce emissions. Employee training and awareness programs promote embedding energy-conscious practices into daily operations.
Approving capital expenditure upgrades
We strategically invest in capital projects to modernize equipment, capture and reuse waste heat, and eliminate inefficient processes. Examples include upgrading to high-efficiency motors, installing smart building management systems, and deploying combined heat and power systems.
Scaling renewable energy adoption
In areas where physical decarbonization of assets is challenging, we procure renewable energy through both onsite generation and virtual power purchase agreements. This includes sourcing electricity from solar, wind, and other clean energy technologies.

This strategy is applied across all sources of energy consumption and is supported by our environmental data management systems at both the business unit and facility levels. We closely monitor key metrics, including total energy use, total renewable energy use, and energy intensity (total energy use per unit of production), to track our progress and identify areas for further improvement.

Since 2020, we have invested more than US$188 million across hundreds of projects inside our own facilities to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions, primarily tied to energy use and methane destruction. Collectively, these initiatives will represent an annual reduction of over 550,000 metric tons of CO2e.


Energy Consumption

(GRI 302-1; 302-3; 302-4, SASB FB-MP-130a.1)

Energy consumption is monitored across JBS’s operations as part of our efforts to improve efficiency, reduce energy intensity, and support the transition to lower-emission energy sources. Our facilities rely on different energy inputs depending on operational needs and regional availability. We report total energy consumption, intensity ratios, and the share of energy from renewable sources, based on globally recognized reporting protocols and internal data systems.


Energy Efficiency


To reduce energy use in our facilities, our environmental and engineering teams are dedicated to identifying operational efficiencies, replacing equipment, and leading behavioral improvements by example. Alignment to internal processes allows us to recognize and prioritize impactful projects that range across a variety of areas and topics, such as optimization of refrigeration and steam operations, conversion to LED lighting, improvement of fleet fuel efficiency in our transportation units, covering of anaerobic wastewater lagoons for biogas collection, and more.

Across our operations, thousands of projects are implemented annually to improve production, food safety, mechanics, and more. In each of those projects our teams seek to incorporate changes to improve energy efficiency. This approach makes it more effective to incorporate energy efficiency projects and only amounts to incremental increases in capital spend.


Key Energy Efficiency Initiatives Include

High-Efficiency Equipment
Deployment of high-efficiency boilers, steam trap monitoring systems, and LED lighting installations.
Heat Recovery System
Implementation of heat recovery systems, such as those at our Brooks facility in Canada, which leverage off-peak scheduling for energy-intensive processes to reduce costs and improve efficiency.
Smart Technology
Use of smart thermostats and advanced building management systems to optimize heating and cooling loads.

Realizing Energy Savings Through Assessments


Across multiple JBS USA and Pilgrim’s U.S. facilities, we partnered with local utility providers and third-party energy consultants to identify energy savings opportunities, audit routine operations, and implement best practices. The facilities received on-site assistance, resulting in reductions from daily low-cost behaviors to capital-funded heat recovery projects. For example, our Arcadia, Wisconsin, chicken production facility has steadily reduced its electricity consumption by more than 15.5% since 2018, demonstrating the cumulative impact of smaller-scale, ongoing initiatives.


Renewable Energy

In tandem with improving energy efficiency, we are investing globally to increase our proportion of total energy consumption from clean sources. Globally, 38.1% of our energy use and 11.5% of our electricity use were derived from renewable sources in 2024.

Expanding renewable energy use is central to achieving our sustainability goals, including our goal of 60% renewable electricity by 2030 and aspiration of 100% renewable electricity by 2040. We actively seek opportunities to source electricity from solar, wind, and small hydroelectric plants through mechanisms such as Brazil’s Free Contracting Environment. In alignment with national policies, such as Law No. 10.295/2001 and ANEEL’s Energy Efficiency Program (PEE/ANEEL), we promote compliance while advancing renewable energy adoption.


Self-Generation Projects

Globally, JBS continues to develop renewable energy projects, such as new biogas collection and utilization systems at Beef City and Scone in Australia and Cues in Mexico, through which we significantly reduce our demand of fossil fuels.
In North America, we brought on a new solar array with battery energy storage and have approved another dozen solar projects that are currently under various stages of design and/or construction. We continue to operate dozens of biogas collection systems around the world, producing renewable electricity, renewable natural gas, or renewable gas to displace onsite fossil fuel combustion, and are currently underway on implementing additional systems at other JBS facilities.

Case Studies:

The incubation department of Pilgrim’s Mexico’s chicken complex, consisting of six hatcheries with a cumulative loading capacity of 5.8 million fertile eggs per week, has achieved remarkable energy savings.
Between 2016 and 2024, Pilgrim’s Mexico reduced liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) consumption for heating from 507,587 liters to 201,273 liters—a reduction of 60.35%.
JBS USA has partnered with GreenGasUSA to transform renewable energy production and significantly reduce GHG emissions across its operations. Through this collaboration, biogas generated from JBS facilities is captured, purified, and converted into renewable natural gas (RNG), which is then injected into existing energy pipelines to replace fossil fuels in transportation and other industries.
This process will displace the GHG emissions equivalent to 60 million miles driven by a car or 26 million pounds of coal burned annually. By leveraging this innovative solution, JBS not only lowers its carbon footprint but also accelerates the transition to cleaner energy systems.
JBS Australia invested $11.1 million to develop bioenergy systems at its Scone and Beef City (Toowoomba) facilities in partnership with leading biogas handling company Energy360. This infrastructure transformed the current wastewater treatment process at each operation into a circular flow that captures and reuses biogas.
In August 2024, construction of the bioenergy system at Beef City was completed, enabling the plant to reduce GHG emissions by approximately 35,000 metric tons annually. Similarly, in May 2024, our Scone site implemented an advanced system that captures wastewater emissions and substitutes liquified natural gas (LNG) with renewable gas. This innovation has reduced Scone’s GHG emissions by an estimated 28,000 metric tons per year. Together, the Beef City and Scone projects have achieved a combined emissions reduction of over two-thirds across both sites.
With an investment of over R$ 17 million, JBS Brazil began using methane captured from its industrial operations as fuel to generate electricity. This biogas powers generators in four Friboi plants, improving energy efficiency and cutting operating costs. Since 2023, the production of approximately 50 million m³ of biogas has avoided 263,700 metric tons of CO₂e emissions—the equivalent of removing 105,500 cars from the streets for a year.
In Ituiutaba (MG) and Andradina (SP), biogas-powered generators are already operational. Since 2023, these facilities have generated 1,179,017 kWh and 874,000 kWh of electricity, saving about R$ 1 million in grid energy purchases.
Friboi plants in Barra do Garças (MT) and Mozarlândia (GO) will soon be powered similarly, adding up to 1.1 million kWh to production—enough to power 6,000 homes monthly. By mid-2025, 18 generators will be operational.
  • Total project investment: R$ 78.7M (R$ 55M JBS, R$ 5.3M Âmbar Energia, R$ 18.4M others).
  • Biogas produced: ~50 million m³
  • Emissions avoided: 263,700 MTCO₂e
  • Energy generated: Ituiutaba – 1,179,017 kWh, Andradina – 874,000 kWh
  • Forecast for two new units: ~1.1 million kWh