Nordzucker & Improvin’: Strategic data infrastructure to enhance farm-level decarbonization across Europe.

• Nordzucker, one of Europe’s leading sugar producers, is expanding its sustainability measures with farmers to meet growing customer demands.

• In collaboration with Improvin’, Nordzucker is introducing a data platform that enables farm-level data collection, sustainability insights, product carbon footprints, and targeted emission reductions.

• The platform will be rolled out across Nordzucker’s European markets, including Germany, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Poland and Lithuania.

• The collaboration is set up as a long-term partnership.

Introduction.

Nordzucker has entered a strategic collaboration with Improvin’ to enhance farm-level decarbonization across Europe. The collaboration supports Nordzucker’s strategy to better record, process, and analyse the growing volume of sustainability data generated in sugar beet cultivation.

Sustainability as a business driver.

Sustainability is a core pillar of Nordzucker’s business strategy, seen as essential for remaining competitive in a market that demands greater climate accountability and transparency.

The company has committed to reducing agricultural emissions by 36% by 2030 (FLAG target* validated by the Science Based Targets Initiative). Currently, Scope 3 agricultural emissions from sugar beet account for approximately 20% of Nordzucker’s overall emission footprint.

“Reducing CO2 emissions in beet cultivation is a key priority for Nordzucker and something we address in close collaboration with our customers. We have set clear ambitions, but successful implementation depends on the expertise of our farmers and agricultural teams. Working with partners like Improvin’ helps us better understand where reductions are possible and ensures our progress is transparent and credible,” says Christopher Münke-Svendsen, Head of Sustainability, Nordzucker.

Data infrastructure for sustainable sourcing.

Turning ambitious commitments into measurable progress requires a solid technological foundation.

With Improvin’s data infrastructure, Nordzucker can collect and validate farm-level activity data in a structured and scalable way. This enables detailed cradle-to-farmgate carbon footprint calculations and sustainability-enriched volumes, giving Nordzucker the ability to offer customers transparent insights into sugar beet cultivation.

“We are already implementing pilot projects to reduce CO2 emissions from beet cultivation, for example, through CO2-reduced fertilizers. With the detailed data, we can make these efforts visible across the value chain. Transparency builds trust, and trust is becoming a key differentiator in the global food value chain,” says Björn Kiepe, Head of Agri Consulting and Shared Agri Services, Nordzucker.

The transition marks a technological leap, providing Nordzucker with a comprehensive view of farming practices and their climate impact, along with tools to implement and track targeted emission reductions.

Nordzucker’s existing farmer platform, CropConnect, is directly connected to the new data platform, alongside additional data streams, systems, and partners, ensuring readiness for future sustainability initiatives.

Image: Nordzucker’s data platform.

Ready to scale.

Designed for user simplicity, Improvin’s infrastructure supports intuitive user interfaces, including an award-winning farmer interface.

For Nordzucker, ease of use for farmers has been a key priority to drive engagement and adoption. During the pilot phase, test data were entered into the new platform, confirming that the platform meets this expectation.

After defining Nordzucker’s overall needs, the platform was evaluated by Nordzucker’s agriculture, operations, and sustainability teams. The project will now proceed to full technical integration and gradual rollout to farmers across Germany, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Poland, and Lithuania, starting with those participating in Nordzucker’s sustainability initiatives. 

“Improvin’ has demonstrated both flexibility and deep expertise in technology and sustainability. We have appreciated the mutual respect and high responsiveness throughout this process,” says Björn Kiepe.

A long-term commitment.

Nordzucker sees the collaboration with Improvin’ as an important milestone in its sustainable transformation. 

"We see Improvin’ as a long-term technology partner supporting us as we adapt our business to the challenges and opportunities of a changing market," Björn Kiepe says.

"It’s inspiring to see Nordzucker’s journey in implementing data-backed measures to reduce the CO2 footprint in sugar beet cultivation. We are proud to provide the technology that enables turning ambitious goals into tangible results," says Niklas Wallsargård, CEO of Improvin'.

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*FLAG = Forest, Land, and Agriculture Climate Target. See SBTi's page for more information.