Providing and protecting nature’s goodness: enhancing biodiversity in ingredient production

Consumers have placed increasing emphasis on the ‘health of the planet’ over recent years, with nearly 50% of people making changes to their diet to become more sustainable

Innova, ‘Top Ten Trends’, 2022



. But now, consumers want their favourite brands to go beyond reducing a product’s carbon footprint, over half express a strong desire for information regarding a product’s impact on biodiversity

UEBT, Consumer Views 2022 – a biodiversity reckoning for brands, 2022



and our own consumer research has shown that parents are also concerned about our planet’s biodiversity and the impact infant formula can have on this

Qualtrics sustainability survey with parents, September 2020, N=651, countries Netherlands, Germany, France, Indonesia, China



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To help brands respond to the call, at FrieslandCampina Ingredients, we’re dedicated to creating ingredients that harness regenerative agricultural practices to meet the demands of nature-conscious consumers. But what exactly do we do? And how can we help brands take their next step in creating a more eco-friendly dairy industry? In this blog, we sit down with Timo Faber, Global Marketing Lead for Early Life Nutrition at FrieslandCampina Ingredients, to talk us through regenerative agriculture – and how it can benefit manufacturers, consumers and the planet alike.

Q: What agricultural practices does FrieslandCampina Ingredients employ to improve biodiversity and promote regeneration?

When I think about biodiversity, I think about birds in the trees and bees buzzing in the meadows – I think we all associate these creatures with a landscape rich in biodiversity. And I’m proud to work in a place that is so strongly connected to nature – where, as a co-operative, we work with our member farmers to use a wide range of regenerative agricultural practices that support biodiversity. These include:

1. Promote natural landscapes: by placing more trees, hedges, flowers and ditches that can house birds, insects and other animals.
2. Protect meadow birds: by mowing fields later – or not at all – to provide meadow birds with the grasslands they need to nest during breeding season.
3. Plant herb-rich grasslands: to provide important habitats for birds, insects and other small animals.

With these practices, we’re able to connect the more abstract concepts of biodiversity and regenerative agriculture to species that consumers interact with every day. These practices can be highlighted on-pack, providing brands with tangible claims that will resonate with consumers who are looking for more biodiversity-supporting solutions and sustainable dairy ingredients.

Q: Why are these three practices so important for biodiversity?

Our regenerative agricultural practices all contribute to creating diverse, natural habitats that are crucial for various species to thrive on our farms. Here are just some of the reasons the work we’re doing is so important:

Promoting natural landscapes: creating natural landscapes that are rich with trees, hedges, flowers and ditches provide areas where bees, butterflies and birds can all live and thrive. I regularly go walking with my children in the countryside in the west of the Netherlands, where there are a lot of grasslands with ditches. And this is when I truly see the impact that these simple measures can have. It’s not just a ditch – it’s home to these important creatures.
 
Protecting meadow birds: mowing fields later, or avoiding mowing completely, provides meadow birds with a safe space they can use for nesting. And with 49% of bird species declining across the globe, we need to protect these natural habitats

BirdLife International, State of the world’s bird report, 2022



. As our farmers work closely with nature, they are motivated to protect these safe havens so our birds can thrive.
 
Planting herb-rich grasslands: by planting herb-rich grasslands, our member farmers are able to create areas with richer soil that provide great nutrients to our cows and providing habitats for insects and birds. It’s the opposite of creating a monoculture – and they’re also ensuring that their cows are getting all the goodness they need from nature.

All of these practices are helping us on our mission to protect biodiversity and create a more eco-friendly dairy industry.

Q: How do FrieslandCampina’s farmers support biodiversity?

Our farmers play a pivotal role in protecting the biodiversity of the world around them. I’ve been to many of our member farms and what you really see is that our farmers truly love being in nature – and their cows are an integral part of the nature that surrounds them.

Our farmers use many different regenerative agricultural practices to support biodiversity on their land. Many of our farms have ditches around the edges of their pastures that provide a place for wild animals to live and breed. As well as this, our farmers let everything within a 2-metre radius of these ditches grow wild – to support pollination, shelter birds and provide a home to small animals. That way, our farms are providing high-quality dairy alongside flourishing nature. By supporting the biodiversity of the land – we’re also creating benefits beyond the surface. Creating biodiverse landscapes helps reduce soil erosion, as loss of plant species diversity reduces soil erosion resistance

Berendse, F., van Ruijven, J., Jongejans, E. et al. Loss of Plant Species Diversity Reduces Soil Erosion Resistance. Ecosystems 18, 881–888 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-015-9869-6



. Biodiverse landscapes also provide vital nutrients to the soil and regulate the dynamics of organic soil matter

Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations, Soil biodiversity loss



, which keeps our grass green and our cows healthy and fed!

Q: How does FrieslandCampina Ingredients work with farmers to help them use regenerative agricultural practices on their farms?

We’re dedicated to helping our farmers bring biodiversity to life through regenerative agriculture – and we do this across multiple levels. We regularly share the latest knowledge we have on the best techniques to support biodiversity, as well as develop innovative tools to measure the impact of their work with our biodiversity monitor for dairy, which was developed together with WWF and Rabobank. But our farmers play a hugely important role in helping us track our biodiversity progress, because they input all of their empirical biodiversity data – such as the nitrogen and ammonia levels in the soil and the population dynamics of insects and pollinators. This not only means that we can work at scale to make sustainability progress, but that we can all benefit from each other’s knowledge. Because together, we achieve more!

We also provide our farmers with monetary incentives to reward their hard work in taking extra steps to improve nature. For this we have unique, science-based incentive programme for the sustainable development for our farmers called Foqus planet. This helps our farmers decide which biodiversity measures work best for their farm.

Q: Do you think parents and consumers are more environmentally conscious?

Absolutely! Our recent consumer research has showed that 81% of parents are concerned about sea pollution, while 76% and 74% are worried about deforestation and animal extinction respectively

BirdLife International, State of the world’s bird report, 2022



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I think there’s also a more general awareness of the importance of biodiversity and regenerative agriculture among the younger generation. I see this in my home. My son is 9, and he recently decided to become a vegetarian. There was absolutely no pressure from us – and I’m really proud of him – although he still enjoys a glass of milk! His decision, to me, really highlights how more sustainable diets are becoming increasingly popular, especially with the next generation of adults and parents. Our children have grown up being shown and told the impact that climate change is having on our planet and the importance of protecting our natural landscapes. As such, I think the demand for sustainable and biodiversity-supporting ingredients will only continue to grow as the Millennial, Z and Alpha generations take over from the older ones. And that’s why, at FrieslandCampina Ingredients, we offer both dairy and plant-based proteins, so we can meet consumer need for both animal and plant-based solutions.

Q: What do your regenerative agricultural practices offer manufacturers?

Our work to boost biodiversity on our farms using regenerative agricultural practices offers a wealth of opportunity for manufacturers. While consumers are more eco-conscious, they’re also more sceptical of greenwashing, or brands making sustainability claims that can’t be backed up by proof. With our data-backed and science-based biodiversity approach, brands can tangibly demonstrate their commitment to wildlife preservation and creating a more eco-friendly dairy industry – while also providing consumers with the nature-supporting ingredients they’re looking for.

As well as meeting consumer demand, our farmers’ regenerative agricultural practices can also enhance manufacturers’ sustainability credentials by showcasing their genuine commitment to regenerative agriculture and biodiversity practices. Brands can use our sustainable dairy ingredients to position themselves as proactive custodians of our planet’s well-being. This will help them both attract the growing segment of consumers prioritising sustainability and, importantly, solidify their reputation as a leader in sustainable and environmentally friendly business practices.

Q: How do these farming practices help FrieslandCampina Ingredients’ meet its sustainability objectives?

Our regenerative agriculture practices strongly align with our sustainability objectives, particularly in relation to our Better Nature pillar, which highlights our dedication to improving biodiversity and having a positive impact on our local environments. And this pillar feeds directly into our overall commitment to minimise our environmental impact throughout the supply chain.

We’re dedicated to producing climate-neutral ingredients by 2050, and our ‘Better Nature’ pillar provides a truly holistic and practical approach to sustainability. By integrating strategies that protect biodiversity and prioritise regenerative farming, we’re enabling our customers to go one step further in accelerating their sustainability progress. So, together, we can help people get the most out of life, always – for now and for generations to come.