Coop and Lantmännen creating conditions for oat cultivation
Sofia Strandberg, Coop and Claes Johansson, Lantmannen.
Two of Sweden’s largest cooperatives, the agricultural cooperative Lantmännen and the consumer cooperative Coop, are laying the foundation for a long-term effort to establish a more sustainable food system.
Through the program, the collaboration contributes to developing a more sustainable and profitable Swedish agriculture. Climate & Nature is one of Sweden’s leading initiatives for cultivation with proven climate impact reductions and increased biodiversity. The collaboration enables more farmers to transition to sustainable farming methods, while also making more oats with a lower climate footprint available to consumers.
“It is very gratifying that even more oats can now be cultivated using sustainable methods in line with Climate & Nature. By collaborating, we take responsibility of achieving shared climate goals. The combination of our companies’ scale and the strength of our thousands of members across the country represents an important step toward real change,” says Claes Johansson, head of sustainability at Lantmännen.
For ten years, Lantmännen has operated the cultivation program Climate & Nature, which includes concrete measures to reduce climate impact and promote biodiversity. Through contract farming, the program guarantees farmers a market for their crops while compensating them for specific measures on their farms, such as using fossil-free fertilisers, precision farming, and creating flowering zones. Since its launch in 2015, the program has contributed to reducing the climate footprint by up to 45% and now encompasses wheat, barley, rye, and oats.
Coop has now taken the next step in its sustainability efforts by using oats covered by the Climate & Nature program into its oatmeal product. These are expected to be available on store shelves starting in February.
“Every step toward more sustainable choices in Coop’s stores is important. Taking such a step with these more sustainably cultivated oats together with a fellow cooperative is particularly exciting. The development aligns with both strategic decisions and external commitments, such as our member pledge for more sustainable choices,” says Sofia Strandberg, acting head of sustainability at Coop Sweden.
