PepsiCo and Fertiberia agree to long-term green-hydrogen based fertilizer use

As part of the agreement, Fertiberia will progressively provide PepsiCo with up to 150 000 tpy of its Impact Zero crop nutrition solutions by 2030, enough to cover approximately 400 000 acres (~162 000 ha.) of farmland used to grow key crops such as potatoes, corn, sunflower, sugar beet, and rapeseed, which are key ingredients for popular PepsiCo brands like Lay’s, Doritos, Ruffles, and Cheetos. The programme will initially launch in France, Romania, Serbia, Greece, and Turkey while expanding in Spain and Portugal, with plans to roll-out the initiative to more European countries in the near future.

The long-term collaboration follows a successful pilot between PepsiCo and Fertiberia in Spain and Portugal, where switching to Fertiberia’s low-carbon fertilizer reduced potato farming emissions by up to 15% and corn farming emissions by 20%.

Fertiberia’s high-tech and low-carbon fertilizer is produced using green hydrogen instead of natural gas, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 63%. Furthermore, it integrates innovative technologies like slow-release formulas and biological inhibitors that enhance agronomic efficiency to boost crop yields, while also reducing emissions and minimising nutrient loss for farmers.

When combined with PepsiCo’s existing supplier agreements, the Fertiberia collaboration is expected to bring the share of low-carbon fertilizer used in PepsiCo’s European supply chain to around 50% by 2030.

Globally, fertilizers contribute about 2% of total greenhouse gas emissions. With the production and use of fertilizer currently responsible for around half of PepsiCo’s average potato carbon footprint in Europe, fertilizers represent one of the biggest opportunities for PepsiCo to reduce its agricultural emissions. Overall, the collaboration supports PepsiCo’s ambition to implement regenerative, restorative or protective practices across 10 million acres globally by 2030 and will help progress towards PepsiCo’s goal to reduce Scope 3 forest, land and agriculture (FLAG) greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030 (against a 2022 baseline).

Archana Jagannathan, Chief Sustainability Officer, PepsiCo Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, said: “We’re working to lead the way on regenerative agriculture and helping to build a more resilient agricultural supply chain. Switching to low-carbon fertilizer is one of the strongest levers we have to reduce agricultural emissions, and use of digital technology can complement this journey towards food system transformation. We’re excited by the success of our pilot in Spain and Portugal and look forward to scaling this ambitious partnership across Europe.”

In addition to providing low-carbon fertilizer, Fertiberia and PepsiCo will support farmers by offering technical guidance and digital tools, including precision agriculture technologies that use data to optimise application and track the implementation of their regenerative agriculture practices.

David Herrero, Chief Operating Officer at Fertiberia, added: “Since 2022, we have been developing lower-carbon hydrogen-based fertilizers, powered by cutting-edge technology such as NSAFE, the world’s first bio-inhibitor of nitrification that prevents nitrogen losses and accelerates the transformation of European agriculture. Today, this journey takes on greater meaning thanks to the trust of partners like PepsiCo, with whom we are collaborating to help decarbonise agri-food value chains. This is not just about fertilizers – it’s about demonstrating the importance of collaboration and showing that innovation, when shared, can drive both climate action and food security across Europe.”

With the programme now scaling into additional European markets, farmers applying the low-carbon solutions in real field conditions remain central to its success. Herdade da Malhadinha, a farmer using Impact Zero fertilizer in Portugal, noted: “We joined the programme during its pilot in 2024, and in our second year we’ve fertilised 30 acres of potatoes using Impact Zero both for base and top dressing. It has been a smooth process, as the fertilisation method is technically identical to our usual practice and so doesn’t alter our daily operations. This project with PepsiCo allows us to move towards more sustainable, low-carbon agriculture, redefining how we produce the food of the future.”

Read the article online at: https://www.worldfertilizer.com/environment/11052026/pepsico-and-fertiberia-agree-to-long-term-green-hydrogen-based-fertilizer-use/