Alliance for the use of green hydrogen-based fertilisers

Barcelona, 27 June 2023 PepsiCo and Fertiberia have joined forces to launch a pioneering pilot programme to reduce emissions in potato cultivation through the use of fertilisers from Fertiberia's Impact Zero line, the first in the world to be produced from green hydrogen (replacing natural gas), and precision agriculture. Both companies, leaders in their respective sectors, share the goal of achieving zero net emissions by acting as agents of change through innovation for a sustainable future for the Spanish agricultural sector.

The use of sustainable fertilisers reduces emissions in potato cultivation by about 15%. The production process uses green ammonia, which is obtained by replacing hydrogen from natural gas with green hydrogen, thus producing plant nutrition solutions with a low carbon footprint. Fertiberia produces green ammonia at its production centre in Puertollano (Ciudad Real), the first and largest green hydrogen plant for industrial use in Europe.

The first sowings with green fertilisers have taken place in Álava, La Rioja and Burgos, in collaboration with Garlan, PepsiCo's potato supplier for more than 30 years, and the reference cooperative assigned by both companies to carry out the programme. Precision farming techniques are used for its application, which allow for optimum fertiliser application thanks to the detailed information it provides on the state of the crops. The programme is starting to be applied on a crop area of 400 ha, which is expected to reach 1,500 ha by 2025.

"We are very proud to announce this green fertiliser pilot programme together with Fertiberia to reduce the emissions associated with fertilisers and, consequently, emissions from agriculture which account for a high percentage of our total emissions." This initiative complements others that we are already carrying out to regenerate the land and make it more fertile through regenerative agriculture practices," says Ángel Alonso, PepsiCo's agricultural director for Southwest Europe.

Alfredo Segura, Commercial Director de Fertiberia, highlights "Fertiberia is changing the paradigm in the agri-food sector with the development of Impact Zero. The use of renewables for the production of plant nutrition solutions combined with continuous innovation in biotechnology will achieve a milestone that until recently seemed impossible, which is the decarbonisation of the primary sector in the EU. The agreement with PepsiCo confirms the potential of green hydrogen to achieve a fully sustainable agriculture and makes Fertiberia the 'facilitator' of the viable development of this new energy vector in Spain."

PepsiCo in Spain is committed to extending the use of regenerative agriculture practices to 77,000 hectares by 2030 and is already working on specific projects to train its farmers in this area. In turn, the company also aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2040 and action in the field is key to achieving this.

The collaboration with Fertiberia is part of PepsiCo Positive, the company's strategy with sustainability at its core to accelerate its transformation and promote a positive impact on both the planet and people, which also includes, as a fundamental pillar, supporting the communities where it operates to improve their livelihoods.

Fertiberia produces large-scale green plant nutrition solutions, which is necessary to support a project of this magnitude. Furthermore, it is the first company in its sector in the world to have committed to reducing its net emissions to zero by 2035. The key to achieving this goal lies in the production of fertilisers from renewable energy sources, a step that has already been taken at its Puertollano industrial centre, to be followed in the future by the rest of its plants in Spain (Palos de la Frontera, Avilés and Sagunto).