20% of Swedish grain trade now future-proofed by Improvin’.

Kristianstadsortens Lagerhusförening (KLF), Vallberga Lantmän, and Varaslättens Lagerhus, which account for 20% of the Swedish grain trade, have co-invested in Improvin’s digital platform that quantifies and reduces carbon emissions in their specific supply chains.

The collaboration has the potential to reduce emissions by 650,000 tonnes of CO2e, and provide up to 80 million SEK more revenue for the growers and cooperatives.

From left to right: Karl Delin, Erik Wildt-Persson and Jörgen Karlsson.

International sustainability reporting standards* have made it clear: companies must start reducing carbon emissions in their own supply chains. Climate offset programs, such as planting trees to offset emissions, will no longer be accounted for, as these programs have no impact on reducing emissions in the company’s own value chain.

At least 70% of the carbon emissions in food production** occur in the primary production; at the grower’s premises. However, tracking and verifying the sustainable practices that the growers have adopted has been difficult. Moreover, growers have not been able to benefit financially from their climate-positive initiatives.

Improvin’s platform uses AI, advanced satellite technology, and algorithms to enable KLF, Vallberga Lantmän and Varaslättens Lagerhus to calculate emissions occurring in their primary production. Instead of relying on default emission rates, the cooperatives and their main customers, consumer brands, can now have a full understanding of their emissions and reward the growers for climate-positive practices. This leads to a reduced carbon footprint and increased profitability for the growers.

"This will create a new income stream for our growers. The system will allow us and our growers to financially benefit from more sustainable farming practices." 

Karl Delin, CEO of Varaslättens Lagerhus. 

Global demand for food is expected to grow by 60% by 2050***, but already now the demand for sustainable food is greater than the food industry can meet. KLF, Vallberga Lantmän, and Varaslätten Lagerhus are invested in reducing carbon emissions together with their customers, many of whom aim to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by up to 30% by the end of 2030.

To reach these targets, all companies need to work together to identify the most effective areas for emission reductions and change their processes to optimize for these results. This is a critical mission where growers have a key role. Financial incentives and simplified reporting, thanks to the platform’s easy interface, are important enablers.

"Improvin's platform will revolutionize the ability to calculate and quantify the carbon footprint of our growers. Finally, we have access to a system that will both simplify and add value throughout the chain - from growers to consumers." 

Jörgen Karlsson, CEO of Vallberga Lantmän. 

"With the information on the platform, we can accelerate the shift towards more sustainable agriculture, and enable our growers to easily and profitably participate in improving processes for the future generations of growers." 

Erik Wildt-Persson, CEO of KLF. 

The cooperation is a multi-year agreement. Improvin’s platform will continuously evolve as demands from growers, customers, and society at large change. 

Read more about Improvin’.

*Updated demands from Science Based Targets Initiative, the leading framework for sustainability reporting.
**Source: Science Based Targets Initiative
***Source: Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations