Lantmännen and Yara lead the way towards world’s first fossil free food chain
Stockholm, Sweden & Oslo, Norway, Sept. 13, 2019: Lantmännen and Yara take a pioneering role in the transformation of the food system. The partners will launch a pilot project with the ambition to introduce the world’s first certified fossil free food chain. This move will enable consumers to mitigate their climate impact by making low-carbon food choices.
The transformation towards a fossil free food chain starts in the field. Crop nutrition, which is essential to ensure yield and quality, will play a key role in the transition to a more climate-friendly food production. The collaboration builds on Yara’s announced plans to pilot the production of mineral fertilizer with renewable energy, with the ambition to reduce the carbon footprint of Lantmännen’s end-products. The fertilizers, which Yara aims to bring to market by 2022, will reduce the total CO2-impact of grain farming by 20 percent.
“Lantmännen has been working systematically for a long time to develop sustainable solutions in many areas, not least when it comes to cultivation methods and concepts. Nordic farmers are leaders in sustainability, with a low climate impact by international standards even today. With this partnership, which is one of our most important initiatives yet, we take further steps towards a fossil free food chain and even more sustainable farming,”says Per Olof Nyman, Group President & CEO at Lantmännen.
The use of renewable energy as a feed stock for mineral fertilizer production will increase production costs and have an impact on food prices. By working closely within the whole food chain the ambition will be to minimize the additional cost for the consumer.
“This partnership is a first step towards achieving the transformation of our food system. The pilot with Lantmännen will bring together the food chain partners in a joint effort to reduce the carbon footprint of food production. We must look at new business models that span the entire food value chain – from field to fork. A fossil free food chain is only possible with mineral fertilizers produced with renewable energy,” says Svein Tore Holsether, Group President & CEO at Yara.
Lantmännen and Yara are taking a first step in the transformation of the food chain and encourage other companies throughout the value chain to contribute as well.
About Lantmännen
Lantmännen is an agricultural cooperative and Northern Europe’s leader in agriculture, machinery, bioenergy and food products. Owned by 25,000 Swedish farmers, we have 10,000 employees, operations in over 20 countries and an annual turnover of SEK 45 billion (approximately EUR 4.3 billion). With grain at the heart of our operations, we refine arable land resources to make farming thrive. Some of our best-known food brands are AXA, Bonjour, Kungsörnen, GoGreen, Gooh, FINN CRISP, Schulstad and Vaasan. Our company is founded on the knowledge and values acquired through generations of farmers. With research, development and operations throughout the value chain, together we take responsibility from field to fork. For more information: www.lantmannen.com
About Yara
Yara grows knowledge to responsibly feed the world and protect the planet, to fulfill our vision of a collaborative society, a world without hunger and a planet respected. To meet these commitments, we have taken the lead in developing digital farming tools for precision farming and work closely with partners throughout the whole food value chain to develop more climate-friendly crop nutrition solutions. In addition, we are committed to working towards sustainable mineral fertilizer production. We foster an open culture of diversity and inclusion that promotes the safety and integrity of our employees, contractors, business partners, and society at large. Founded in 1905 to solve the emerging famine in Europe, Yara has a worldwide presence with about 17,000 employees and operations in over 60 countries. In 2018, Yara reported revenues of USD 12.9 billion. For more information: www.yara.com
For more information, please contact:
Lantmännen:
Claes Johansson, Head of Sustainable Development at Lantmännen
Phone: +46 10 556 10 05
E-mail: claes.johansson@lantmannen.com
Lantmännen Press Office
Phone: +46 10 556 88 00
E-mail: press@lantmannen.com
Yara:
Ellen Cathrine Rasmussen, VP Sustainability Programs & Global Projects
Phone: +47 97 756 518
E-mail: ellen.cathrine.rasmussen@yara.com
Media Contact:
Josiane Kremer
Director External Communications
Phone: +4748180451
E-mail: josiane.kremer@yara.com
