Rabobank – Sahana Rao-Chakravorti – 2025

Summary

Sahana supported Rabobank’s North American Sustainability Team in developing a strategy to help clients integrate decarbonization solutions into the dairy value chain.

Goals

The primary objectives of this project were to:
1) Identify and evaluate current decarbonization solutions in the market comparing their effectiveness and applicability
2) Determine which solutions offer the greatest potential benefits for Rabobank’s Wholesale and Rural Clients, considering their unique needs and operational contexts
3) Outline strategic opportunities for Rabobank to support its clients in adopting and integrating these decarbonization solutions, thereby enhancing sustainability across the dairy value chain.

Solutions

Sahana developed Rabobank North America’s dairy decarbonization strategy through a three-pronged approach. In the first phase of her project, she mapped existing solutions targeting methane emissions reductions both from enteric and manure management. She spoke with dairy producers as well as CPG clients to build an understanding of Rabobank’s clients’ needs in the space. Additionally, she researched existing financial mechanisms in the market to support adoption of decarbonization solutions. Sahana’s second phase was focused on analysis where she identified key attributes to compare methane reduction solutions against, and created a dynamic ranking tool which weighed and ranked solutions based on client priorities. She also analyzed internal client data to segment Rabobank’s customer database. In the final stage of the project, she combined insights from her analysis and research to develop actionable recommendations. Using the dynamic ranking tool and the customer segmentation, she created a framework for recommending high value solutions for clients based on their specific needs.

Potential Impact

Sahana’s project has provided Rabobank with internal insights on current solutions for reduction of methane within the dairy value chain. Additionally, it has empowered Rabobank to provide their clients’ optionality and custom recommendations based on a client’s specific needs. Her project has created the foundation for Rabobank to help their dairy clients move from ideation to implementation for integrating methane reduction strategies within their value chain.