Knorr’s 50 regenerative agriculture projects to cut carbon emissions

06 / 11 / 2021

By Marwa Nassar - -

Knorr’s plan for 50 regenerative agriculture projects is predicted to reduce carbon emissions and water use by an estimated 30% while improving biodiversity, soil health and livelihoods.

Food production accounts for more than a third of all greenhouse gas emissions, is a leading cause of soil and species loss, and the No.1 user of water.

There is a need to grow food in ways that protect the planet and preserve precious resources. This means restoring and regenerating nature by lowering greenhouse gas emissions (carbon footprint), putting nutrients back into the soil, reusing and recycling water, and increasing living species below and above ground. This will, in turn, improve livelihoods and help safeguard the future of food.

That’s exactly what Knorr is doing with the launch of 50 regenerative agriculture projects over the next five years.

These will put our Regenerative Agriculture Principles into practice by experimenting with new methods to grow and diversify food. Learnings and insights will be shared with others – growers, processors and our peers – to help drive the transformation in the way food is grown for the benefit of people and the planet.

The projects build on more than a decade of Knorr’s collaboration with farmers and suppliers, which has led to 95% of its vegetables and herbs now being sustainably sourced, globally. We estimate that combined they will lower Knorr’s key ingredients’ greenhouse gas emissions and water use by around 30% while improving biodiversity, soil health and livelihoods.

It’s a key step in Knorr’s journey to reinvent food for humanity with the ambition to get food that’s good for people and the planet on 7 billion plates by 2025.

“We need to work with nature and ecosystems, not against them,” says Hanneke Faber, President of our Foods and Refreshment division. “Earlier this year we launched Unilever’s Regenerative Agriculture Principles to support the growing of food with a positive impact on nature. Now Knorr is putting the principles to the test, and sharing learnings as we go along so that everyone can do the same.”

This initiative is a part of the Unilever Climate & Nature Fund and our wider commitment to help protect and regenerate 1.5 million hectares of land, forests and oceans by 2030.