Knorr® Will Launch 50 Regenerative Agriculture Projects Across the World to Reduce Food's Impact on The Climate

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Knorr's 50 regenerative agriculture projects to be launched over the next five years build on more than 10 years of sustainable agriculture collaborations with farmers and suppliers, which has resulted in 95% of Knorr's vegetables and herbs being sustainably sourced, globally. But with food contributing to more than one third of greenhouse gas emissions and being a leading cause of soil and species loss, sourcing and growing in a way that minimizes impact is not enough.

"We need to work with nature and ecosystems – not against. 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 into practice – and sharing learnings along the way so that others can do the same."– Hanneke Faber, Global President of Foods and Refreshment, Unilever

The regenerative agriculture projects will be phased over the next five years, to be scaled to 50 projects with partners by 2026, globally. The three projects started this year are showing promising results in the US and Europe.

• Water preservation and reduced emissions: In Arkansas, US, in partnership with Knorr's biggest rice supplier, Riviana, a suite of farming practices that preserve water and decrease greenhouse gas emissions are being implemented. Together with the University of Arkansas, cutting edge ways to measure reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and water captured are being used.
• Soil health: In Southern Spain, in partnership with Knorr's supplier Agraz (Conesa Group), tomato farmers have implemented practices to improve soil health with the first harvest showing increased yield.
• Climate resiliency: In Pas de Calais (Northern France), in partnership with PURProject and Green SOL, vegetable supplier Ardo has implemented practices to improve soil health and climate resiliency in response to decreased yields due to changes in weather conditions.

Knorr's regenerative agriculture roadmap is part of the Unilever Climate & Nature Fund, a €1 billion fund that will accelerate the brand's work on nature and climate projects. Knorr's plan will contribute to Unilever's commitment to help protect and regenerate 1.5 million hectares of land, forests, and oceans by 2030.

As the largest food brand within Unilever, Knorr is using its position in the supply chain and in the market to test and learn, scale implementation, all while sharing learnings and knowledge with a coalition of partners and academics to transform the way food is grown– for good. 

The key ingredients (vegetables, herbs, spices, grains) grown using regenerative agriculture principles will be utilized across Knorr's portfolio globally in products sold more than 3.1 billion times a year across more than 90 countries. This project plan is crucial to Knorr's purpose to reinvent food for humanity with the ambition to get food that is good for people and the planet on seven billion plates by 2025, globally.

About Knorr 
Knorr believes that wholesome, nutritious food should be accessible and affordable to all. That's not a reality for everyone in today's America. That's why we're on a journey to ensure all Americans can create healthy meals they feel good about. Whether it's creating high-quality products, offering simple chef-developed recipes, or supporting organizations and initiatives that provide access to healthy foods, Knorr remains committed to its long history of making good food available to everyone.

The business was formed in 1838, when founder Carl Heinrich Knorr pioneered experiments in drying seasonings and vegetables to preserve their flavor and nutritional value. Since then, Knorr® has become an international purpose driven brand offering a wide range of bouillons, soups, seasonings, sauces, soupy snacks, mini meals, side dishes, and meal kits.

About Unilever North America 
Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of Beauty & Personal Care, Home Care, and Foods & Refreshment products, with sales in over 190 countries and products used by 2.5 billion people every day. We have 149,000 employees and generated sales of €50.7 billion in 2020. Over half of our footprint is in developing and emerging markets. We have around 400 brands found in homes all over the world. In the United States and Canada, the portfolio includes iconic brand such as: Dove, Knorr, Hellmann's, Lipton, Magnum, Axe, Degree, Dollar Shave Club, Q-tips, Seventh Generation, St. Ives, Suave, TRESemmé, and Vaseline.

Our vision is to be the global leader in sustainable business and to demonstrate how our purpose-led, future-fit business model drives superior performance. We have a long tradition of being a progressive, responsible business. It goes back to the days of our founder William Lever, who launched the world's first purposeful brand, Sunlight Soap, more than 100 years ago, and it's at the heart of how we run our company today.  

The Unilever Compass, our sustainable business strategy, is set out to help us deliver superior performance and drive sustainable and responsible growth, while:  

• improving the health of the planet;
• improving people's health, confidence, and wellbeing and
• contributing to a fairer and more socially inclusive world.

While there is still more to do, we are proud to have been recognized in 2020 as a sector leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and – for the tenth-consecutive year – as the top ranked company in the 2020 GlobeScan/SustainAbility Sustainability Leaders survey.  

For more information on Unilever U.S. and its brands visit: www.unileverusa.com 
For more information on Unilever Canada and its brands visit: www.unilever.ca  

CONTACT:
Penelope Ramirez
[email protected]

SOURCE Knorr