The Fertiberia PepsiCo Agreement aims to increase the use of low-carbon fertilizers across European agriculture by supplying up to 150,000 tonnes per year of renewable ammonia-based nitrate fertilizers by 2030.
Under the long-term agreement, Spanish fertilizer producer Fertiberia will supply its low-carbon fertilizers under the Impact Zero brand to PepsiCo. The fertilizers will be used by farmers supplying PepsiCo across nearly 400,000 acres of farmland in Europe.
Fertiberia currently produces around 20,000 tonnes per year of renewable ammonia at its Puertollano Plant facility. The plant operates with a 20MW electrolyser powered by an integrated 100MW solar photovoltaic system. The company also produces 180,000 tonnes per year of natural gas-based ammonia at the same location.
The Fertiberia PepsiCo Agreement follows successful fertilizer trials conducted in Spain and Portugal. According to the companies, carbon emissions were reduced by up to 20% in corn farming and up to 15% in potato cultivation during the pilot programme.
The expanded programme will now cover France, Romania, Serbia, Greece and Turkey. Key crops included in the initiative are potatoes, corn, sunflower, sugar beet and rapeseed.
Fertiberia stated that its Impact Zero fertilizer range uses slow-release formulas and biological inhibitors to improve nutrient efficiency. The company claims these technologies can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the finished fertilizer product by 63%.
PepsiCo said the agreement will help increase the share of low-carbon fertilizers used across its European operations to 50% by 2030. The food and beverage company also maintains similar partnerships with Yara International, CF Industries and TalusAg to support lower-emission agricultural supply chains.
Industry analysts noted that global food and beverage companies are increasingly supporting sustainable fertilizer initiatives because they are more willing than farmers to absorb the higher costs associated with low-carbon agricultural inputs.
