Insider Brief
- BASF and Boortmalt have successfully generated the first Verified Impact Units (VIUs) by reducing and removing on-farm greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through BASF’s Global Carbon Farming Program.
- Barley farmers in Ireland, utilizing xarvio® Digital Farming Solutions, implemented sustainable practices such as cover cropping, leading to an average reduction of 2.3 tons CO₂e per hectare and bringing barley production closer to net-zero.
- Boortmalt aims to expand its regenerative agriculture initiatives globally, targeting a 30.3% reduction in barley emissions by 2030, compared to baseline in 2023.
PRESS RELEASE — BASF and Boortmalt have teamed up for the first successful generation of Verified Impact Units (VIUs) from on-farm greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions. This marks a significant advancement in climate-smart agriculture, as companies seek verifiable mechanisms to track and certify carbon reductions within supply chains, according to the companies in a joint press release.
This comes as part of BASF’s Global Carbon Farming Program, which enables farmers to adopt sustainable practices such as planting cover crops. According to BASF, barley farmers in Ireland implementing these techniques have reduced their carbon footprint by nearly 90%, saving an average of 2.3 metric tons of CO₂ equivalent per hectare.
“We are incredibly proud alongside our project partners to be Europe’s first to have achieved Verra’s standard of verification from carbon insetting,” said Gustavo Palerosi Carneiro, Senior Vice President BASF Agricultural Solutions for EMEA & CIS. “Through reliable verification and certification, farmers are rewarded for implementing sustainable practices that benefit the environment without compromising productivity. We are excited to continue to work with food value chain and farmers on our Carbon Farming Program and to provide them with innovative solutions for sustainable agriculture.”
The Verified Impact Units provide a mechanism to track and certify on-farm emissions reductions, helping companies meet Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) commitments and report credible progress toward reducing Scope 3 emissions. Boortmalt, the world’s leading malted barley provider, has played a key role in supporting farmers through this transition. While the benefits of sustainable farming practices, such as improved soil health and biodiversity, are well understood, transitioning from conventional methods can be challenging, BASF pointed out. Farmers often require new knowledge and investment in materials like cover crop seeds. Boortmalt’s sustainability team has worked closely with growers to bridge these gaps.
“These first VIUs represent a critical step forward, benefitting farmers and reinforcing our commitment to reducing GHG emissions and promoting sustainability,” said Gauthier Boels, Group Sustainable Agriculture Manager at Boortmalt.
The project adheres to Verra’s agricultural protocol (VM0042) and has been independently validated by SustainCERT, a leading verification body for climate impact.
“This is a great achievement,” said Marion Verles, CEO of SustainCERT. “Our team validated and verified the outcomes of BASF’s Global Carbon Farming Program to ensure that the CO2e savings are of the highest level of trust and accountability. Our approach helps companies demonstrate progress toward their scope 3 targets by validating and verifying value chain interventions and confirming the resulting mitigations outcomes.”
BASF intends to expand its Global Carbon Farming Program to include a wider range of crops and regions, ensuring broader sustainability benefits across various agricultural value chains. Boortmalt, for its part, is working to scale its regenerative agriculture program, aiming to reduce emissions in barley cultivation by 30.3% by 2030 compared to its 2023 baseline.
“The journey we began in 2022 has now reached a pivotal milestone with the generation of the VIUs,” said Marko Grozdanovic, Senior Vice President Global Marketing at BASF Agricultural Solutions. “This achievement showcases the potential of climate-smart agriculture and our Global Carbon Farming Program, emphasizing also the importance of connecting farmers with stakeholders across the value chain to develop scalable solutions.”
