Lantmännen has since long driven the development to make fossil-free mineral fertilizers available to Swedish agriculture, and the collaboration with Arla marks an important step forward in the green transition.
“Lantmännen is constantly looking for partners to scale up fossil-free solutions in Swedish agriculture. In Arla, we have found a bold company that is driving development in the dairy industry,” says Claes Johansson, Head of Sustainability at Lantmännen.
“Through the collaboration with Lantmännen and the investment in fossil-free mineral fertilizer, we are taking another concrete step towards even more sustainable milk production. It is an important part of our long-term climate and environmental work,” says Victoria Olsson, Head of Sustainability at Arla Sweden.
Cooperation is key for climate-neutral agriculture
“Real change requires major players in the food chain to take responsibility. When influential companies take the lead, important conditions are created for more sustainable food production throughout the country,” says Claes Johansson.
Fossil-free mineral fertilizer is already a criterion in Lantmännen’s cultivation programme Climate & Nature. It is now also being integrated as part of the customer collaboration within Arla’s sustainability program, FarmAhead.
“Our sustainability program FarmAhead enables us to accelerate the green transition on farms. Through investments in fossil-free mineral fertilizers and other initiatives that reduce climate emissions and promote biodiversity,” says Victoria Olsson.
Up to 90 percent lower carbon footprint
Fossil-free mineral fertilizer is produced with so-called green ammonia, produced using renewable energy such as hydropower. This process generates a 70–90 percent lower climate footprint than conventional mineral fertilizers.
Mineral fertilizers are a crucial input in agriculture – without it, up to 50 percent of harvests are at risk. At the same time, the traditional production of mineral fertilizers accounts for about a third of agriculture’s climate emissions. Hence, being able to offer a fossil-free version of that input is a big step towards climate-neutral food production. The fossil-free mineral fertilizer that Lantmännen offers in Sweden comes from the producers Yara and Fertiberia.
Facts about fossil-free fertilizers
Traditional mineral fertilizers are based on ammonia produced using fossil fuels, especially natural gas. In fossil-free production, green ammonia is used instead, which is produced with renewable energy sources such as hydropower. The result is a fertilizer with a 70–90 percent lower climate impact.
If you have any questions, please contact:
Lantmännen’s press office
Tel: 010 556 88 00
E-mail: press@lantmannen.com
Arla Sweden’s press office
Tel: 070-884 42 90
E-mail: SEpress@arlafoods.com
About Lantmännen
Lantmännen is an agricultural cooperative and Northern Europe’s leader in agriculture, machinery, bioenergy and food products. Owned by 17,000 Swedish farmers, Lantmännen has 12,000 employees, operations in over 20 countries and an annual turnover of SEK 70 billion. With grain at the heart of the operations, Lantmännen refine arable land resources to make farming thrive. Some of Lantmännen’s best-known food brands are AXA, Kungsörnen, Scan, GoGreen, FINN CRISP, Schulstad and Vaasan. The company is founded on the knowledge and values acquired through generations of farmers. By engaging in research, development and operations throughout the value chain, Lantmännen takes responsibility from field to fork. For more information: www.lantmannen.com
Arla – the farmers’ own dairy
Arla is an international dairy company and cooperative association owned by approximately 7,600 dairy farmers in Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the UK, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Arla Sweden is home to classic brands such as Arla Ko, Bregott, KESO® and Pucko. Arla is the world’s largest producer of organic dairy products and one of the strongest players in the international dairy world, with sales in 164 countries. Arla’s eleven dairies in Sweden buy 100 percent renewable electricity and all of its own heavy transport is fossil-free.