B Corp is one of the most sought-after sustainability certifications in business. In the food world, of which sustainability concerns are such a key part, it is important for companies to assure consumers and clients that they are doing right by the environment and the world at large.
However, at the source of the food supply chain, things are slightly different. Until now, no farm in Europe had been certified B Corp.
More Holstein, a dairy farm in Spain, is the first farm to be given such a certification. The farm, which has collaborated for 43 years with dairy major Danone (the first milk tanker in Danone’s nearby factory came from More Holstein), has improved biodiversity, protected labour rights and reduced its carbon footprint.
How did the farm achieve its B Corp certification?
The farm, located in Valencia, Spain, is predominantly a dairy farm, with 5% of production focused on breeding and beef and 5% on solid manure.
Undertaking the B Corp certification was challenging, according to More Holstein’s chief of operations. However, it provided the farm a useful snapshot of its sustainability progress in the five areas which B Corp assesses: workers, governance, community, customers and environment.
“Taking on the B Corp certification allowed us to know exactly where we were in each area,” they told FoodNavigator.
“This offered us a different vision of our business which guided us to ideas to improve some processes which will [allow us to become] more sustainable over time and more profitable.”
For example, on the environment the farm needed to collect together information on animal efficiency and welfare, recycling policy and management of manure. For its environmental management policy, it was required to gather together a record of metrics for recent years in water and energy consumption, and its medium- and long-term goals for reducing these and strategic plans for achieving these goals.
Why did the farm achieve its B Corp certification?
While the process was complex, More Holstein was successful, and was the first farm in Europe to achieve the accreditation.
“The progress More Holstein has made in sustainability shows that the job can be done well with effort, dedication, union and commitment,” a B Lab Spain spokesperson told FoodNavigator.
“More Holstein is a family business that has been dedicated to milk production more over 50 years, and has particularly excelled in their commitment to the workers and communities in which they operate, ensuring that their business activities benefit local economies and society.” It employs 45% of its workforce from Spain and has offered internships to more than 300 students. It scored 1.6 times higher than the Spanish average on communities and workers.
More Holstein has also excelled in the environmental field, the spokesperson told us, applying the concept of regenerative agriculture to promote healthy soil through practices including optimising water usage, reducing soil usage, cultivation, crop rotation, and improving soil fertilisation.
The farm has reduced CO2 emissions by 46,665 kg per year, through investment in solar panels. This, the spokesperson told us, represents more than 119.3 miles driven by an average gasoline-powered passenger vehicle.
Regenerative agriculture
One of the key ways that farming can be sustainable is through regenerative agriculture. Regenerative agriculture does not yet have a legal definition, but it usually refers to practices which aim to protect the soil, improve biodiversity and restore ecosystems. Such practices include cover cropping, using bacteria instead of fertilisers, and no tillage agriculture.
The farm has also succeeded in other areas. It has developed a circular system in feed, for example, using high-quality manure and surplus orange pulp sourced locally. It also holds the Welfair certification, which focuses on the observation and evaluation of animals on four aspects – housing, feeding, health and behaviour – to ensure animal welfare.
Challenges in certifying farms
Farms often struggle to achieve B Corp. Very few farms have, in fact, been certified. More Holstein, the first such farm in Europe, is also only the second in the world.
“The agriculture sector is the foundation of the economy and also considered an industry with high environmental impact,” the spokesperson told us.
“Due to population growth and increased consumerism, this sector is constantly pressured to become more productive and efficient. This pressure can lead to practices that harm the planet, resulting in significant environmental impact throughout the entire supply chain.”
The agricultural industry, by its very nature, generates a high environmental impact, the B Lab Spain spokesperson told us, making it more difficult for farms to be certified B Corp.
Dairy and sustainability
While some dairy cows do consume soy-based feed, which is linked to deforestation, dairy is not viewed as having as direct a link as beef. This is because land clearing for pasture, when forest or savannah is converted into agricultural land for animals to graze, is usually undertaken to provide land for beef cattle rather than dairy.
Furthermore, developing sustainable practices is a considerable investment, and the spokesperson suggested that farmers may merely perceive the implementation of sustainable practices as simply an added cost.
“However, the financial results of companies working to generate positive impact show that this perception is wrong. According to B Corp data, 84% of B Corps globally increased revenue, compared to 61% of conventional companies that did.”
Another key difference is tracking environmental actions. Clients can have difficulty tracking sustainable actions taken by farms, as they are often far away from each other in the value chain.
What is the future?
For More Holstein, according to its chief of operations, the ambition is to keep developing ways to be more sustainable.
“We must reach the optimal level of hectares under cultivation and improve agricultural techniques to minimize the environmental impact and the health the soil.”
B Corp certifications in farming also have a future. “More Holstein’s joining the B Corp movement is an important milestone that demonstrates that the agricultural industry can do things right and make a positive impact on the Earth and society,” the B Lab Spain spokesperson told us. It can act as an impetus for other companies to do the same.
