Paulig and Lantmännen take next step in partnership to achieve more sustainable cultivation methods on 20 Swedish farms
The international food and beverage company Paulig has activated the second phase of its sustainable farming partnership with Lantmännen, a northern European agricultural cooperative. In phase two, Lantmännen has contracted about 20 farmers to supply Paulig with 17,000 tons of wheat flour cultivated in accordance with the program. This move expects to reduce the wheat flour climate impact by as much as 30 percent (2,300 tons of CO2). The wheat flour will be used to annually produce 400 million Santa Maria tortillas – baked at Paulig’s carbon neutral factory in Sweden – to meet Nordic and Baltic market demand.
Erik Olsson is one of the farmers who cultivates wheat according to the more sustainable methods at Hviderups Gods, Sweden. "This collaboration is important for Sweden's agriculture and shows the consumers how farmers work with more sustainable cultivation methods."
Through Lantmännen’s program Farming of the Future: Climate & Nature, Paulig will be provided with a more sustainable wheat. The program gives Swedish farmers the opportunity to adopt even more sustainable cultivation methods. Paulig and Lantmännen see this an important step in the right direction for agriculture, helping approximately 20 farms transition roughly 2,700 hectares to more sustainability-forward farming practices. This initiative covers 5,460 “skylark” plots and 109,000 square meters of flower zones, which is equivalent to 15 football fields. Harvesting will begin this Autumn, and products are expected to hit shelves in 2023. The partnership was announced in October 2021.
“This is a fantastic start to an incredibly important partnership. At Paulig, we believe that the food industry is a part of the climate solution. We’ve set ambitious global, science-based climate targets, and adopting more sustainable cultivation methods is one of the most valuable pieces of the puzzle. Working in close concert with our partners and farmers across the entire food value chain is helping Paulig to reduce the climate impact of its products – and to make more sustainable choices available to consumers. Our partnership with Lantmännen is one way we’re reducing Paulig’s greenhouse gas emissions from the value chain by 50 percent by 2030. We have only 8 harvests left until 2030, so we have to make everything count,” says Lea Rankinen, Director Sustainability & Public Affairs at Paulig.
Paulig has set very ambitious climate targets which have been approved by the Science-Based Target initiative and are aligned with the aim to limit the global temperature rise to a maximum of 1.5°C. Lantmännen’s Climate & Nature program drives the implementation of more sustainable farming practices to meet the tough targets defined by the Paris Agreement.
“Our farmers and we are happy to be moving into the next phase of this partnership with Paulig. This is where we really start to make a difference, accelerating the transformation of food systems. The benefits are manifold. Not only are we meeting market demand for more sustainable products, but we’re also making it profitable for Swedish farmers to adopt more sustainable farming practices. It will be exciting to follow the process until the products hit the shelves,” says Claes Johansson, Head of Sustainable Development at Lantmännen.
The cultivation methods used within the Climate & Nature program can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 30 percent by implementing climate-smart plant nutrition, fossil-free fuels and precision farming. Biodiversity is enhanced by so-called “skylark plots,” which are unseeded areas where birds can land and find food, flowering zones and chemical-free seed treatment.
Tortillas comprise Paulig’s largest product category, making this collaboration highly impactful from a sustainability perspective. Around 700,000 portions of Santa Maria Tex Mex are served each day across 40 markets.
“This partnership perfectly embodies our enduring legacy and unwavering commitment to innovation. For decades, Santa Maria’s Tex Mex products have brought friends and families together. By joining hands with Lantmännen and its farmers, we’re maintaining these cherished food traditions, while reducing our greenhouse gas emissions in a major value chain. We’re evolving to meet new demands and encouraging more positive consumer decisions. It’s win-win-win,” says Henrik Samuelson, SVP Scandinavia & Central Europe at Paulig.
About Climate & Nature:
- Climate & Nature is Lantmännen’s program for Farming of the Future that includes specific measures to reduce climate impact from cultivation and boost biodiversity, carried out by contracted farmers on their own farms.
- The program has reduced the climate footprint from wheat cultivation by 30 percent since 2015.
- The program is dynamic and criteria for more sustainable farming methods will be updated continuously to further reduce the climate impact.
- The sustainable grains are then used by Lantmännen Cerealia to produce flour and food products.
About Paulig:
Paulig is a family-owned food and beverage company, founded in 1876. The company's brands are Paulig, Santa Maria, Risenta, Liven and Poco Loco. The products are sold in more than 70 different markets around the globe. Paulig is Europe’s largest supplier of Tex Mex food. Paulig aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its value chain by 50 percent by 2030, compared with the 2018 baseline. In addition, Paulig aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its own operations by 80 percent by 2030. Paulig reported sales of EUR 966 million in 2021. Read more at pauliggroup.com.
Media contacts:
Paulig
Nils Sjöberg
Communications Manager Sweden
nils.sjoberg@paulig.com
+46 70 085 24 11
Lantmännen's press office
Phone: +46 10 556 88 00
E-mail: press@lantmannen.com
About Paulig
Paulig is a family-owned food and beverage company, growing a new, sustainable food culture – one that is good for both people and the planet. Paulig provides all things tasty; coffees and beverages, Tex Mex and spices, snacks and plant-based choices. The company's brands are Paulig, Santa Maria, Risenta, Poco Loco and Liven. Paulig’s sales amounted to EUR 966 million in 2021. The company has 2,300 passionate employees in 13 different countries working around the purpose For a life full of flavour.
www.pauliggroup.com
