Human production of food accounts for a significant part of the world's climate-impacting emissions. In order to slow down climate change and ensure productive agriculture tomorrow as well, climate impact needs to be reduced, especially in cultivation but also from processing and transport of food.

As a food producer and agricultural cooperative, Lantmännen has a responsibility to do what we can for more climate-smart food. Lantmännen has been working to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from its own production since 2009 and has developed targets for a base year of 2019, where we have successfully reduced our carbon dioxide emissions. 

Lantmännen's climate strategy

Lantmännen's climate strategy is based on reducing emissions at the pace required by the Paris Agreement. This means halving every ten years to reach a zero level by 2050. Lantmännen's climate goals are divided into primary production, own production and purchased transports. The goals focus on fossil-free production and transport, continued energy efficiency, and investments and measures to reduce climate impact throughout the value chain. 

The cultivation stage is the most important part

In the food value chain, in principle, all the primary value for humans is created in the cultivation stage. It builds carbohydrates, proteins and other nutrients that we as humans need to get in order to live. Therefore, for natural reasons, it is also there that the majority of resources are consumed and the majority of the environmental impact occurs in the chain from field to fork. To get the crop to grow and yield a harvest, tillage, sowing, plant protection, supply of plant nutrients and finally threshing and drying give rise to climate and environmental impact. In the cultivation stage, carbon dioxide is also bound into the crop and some of that carbon stays in the soil, mainly in the root systems of the crop, and means that the arable land can also act as a carbon sink, i.e. contribute to removing carbon dioxide.

From a life cycle perspective, the largest part of the climate emissions for our food products are in the cultivation stage. It is mainly biological conversion of nitrogen in the soil, diesel consumption and drying of cereals that contribute to the impact. The production of plant nutrients (fertilizers) also accounts for a significant part. To provide a complete picture of the climate impact of cereal farming, the carbon sequestration effect should also be included. However, there is currently no methodology for it to be quantified in a life cycle analysis. Source: Lantmännen's internal figures 2018.

Climate targets for primary production

In 2019, Lantmännen adopted a new climate target linked to primary production. The goal is to create the conditions for sustainable primary production with halved climate impact every ten years, in order to reach climate neutrality by 2050.

Primary production includes the first part of the cultivation stage – what happens on the farm – and this is where the greatest value creation takes place. By reducing the impact on farms and the impact of our own production and transport, we create a sustainable food chain, from farm to fork. 

Based on our climate goal, we have produced the report Future Agriculture, which describes the potential ahead for an even more sustainable Swedish agriculture. Learn more.

Cultivation concept for lower climate impact

We work together with farmers to develop cultivation in a more sustainable direction. We do this by developing and offering services for optimized cultivation, and through research in areas such as plant breeding and biological plant protection, as well as  developing the Climate & Nature cultivation program for cereals with a lower climate impact and increased consideration for the environment and nature. An example of work in the cultivation stage is Kungsörnen's flour with up to 30 percent lower climate impact. Since harvest in 2023, we have introduced fossil-free mineral fertilizer as a criterion. This allows us to create a fossil-free value chain from farm to fork and offer customers and consumers even more sustainable products. 

Read more about our work to establish a fossil-free value chain with reduced climate impact in cultivation. 

Climate targets for own production and transport

In 2021, Lantmännen set a new climate target for its own production. The goal is to reduce climate impact by 50 percent by 2030 and entails a reduction rate in line with the Paris Agreement's target level. The goal will be achieved with continued phasing out of fossil fuels, transition to green electricity and increased energy efficiency.

The result for 2024 was a decrease of 44% compared to the base year 2019. Greenhouse gas emissions from own production (scope 1, 2 and 3.3) in absolute terms amounted to approximately 114 thousand tonnes of CO₂e, which means a reduction of 25 per cent compared to the base year 2019. Climate emissions in relation to sales are affected by the energy and climate performance of new businesses as well as by inflation. The decrease is partly explained by lower energy consumption during the year. Other explanations for the reduction are that Lantmännen Biorefineries' plant in Norrköping has switched to 100 per cent renewable purchasing of district heating and Swecon in Germany has switched to origin-labelled electricity.

Reduced impact from transport

Lantmännen's transports go all the way from field to finished product and require energy that causes climate-impacting emissions. Emissions need to be reduced. More transport needs to be shifted to rail and sea, and the share of renewable fuels must increase. In collaboration with our transport suppliers, we work for better planning and increased filling rates, as well as for environmentally efficient vehicles, fuels and driving styles.

Lantmännen's goal is to reduce the climate impact of transport by 50 percent by 2030 throughout its operations (base year 2019). An interim goal is fossil-free transport and service cars in Sweden by 2030, in order to have fossil-free in all markets by 2050. The strategy is based on more sustainable fuel choices and more efficient transport flows. The outcome in 2024 was an increase of 5 percent from 2019. A rethink is needed to find a commercially viable way to reduce emissions from transport in line with the goals. In addition, continued work is required to find innovative logistics solutions and efficiency opportunities in collaboration with transport suppliers and to ensure access to biofuels. Read more about collaborations in the area. 

Lantmännen's total greenhouse gas emissions by scope according to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development Green House Gas protocol are distributed as in the table above. Read more in Annual Report with Sustainability Report.

Climate targets for own production by 2020 achieved

As early as 2009, Lantmännen set a goal of reducing emissions from its own production by 40 percent by 2020. The goal was already achieved in 2015. We set a new target of a further 40 percent reduction by 2020, and reached this in 2020. Between 2009 and 2020, emissions relative to turnover decreased by 71 percent. In absolute terms, emissions have decreased by 62 percent. 

Energy efficiency and fossil-free production

An important part of the progress has been the transition from fossil fuel oil to biofuels in our facilities. In several cases, residual products from the company's own production have been used to replace fossil fuels. We also work systematically with energy efficiency at the facilities.