Sustainability

Finding solutions for more sustainable agricultural production is crucial both to the resilience of essential food, feed, fibers and ingredients supply chains and the meeting of climate goals that safeguard the natural resources on which we all depend. In an operating environment that remained challenging in 2021, we not only delivered a strong performance and advanced in our strategic plans, but also made positive and important strides in our work to shape more sustainable food and agricultural value chains.   

In November, as the United Nations’ Climate Change Conference (COP26) took place in Glasgow, LDC joined with other leading agricultural commodity companies to issue a statement of commitment to accelerate sector-wide action, supporting the global goal to reach net zero emissions by 2050. 

In this context, we took an important step in LDC’s decarbonization journey in 2021, with the creation of a dedicated Carbon Solutions Platform to drive forward emissions-reduction efforts – both in our own operations and in our value chains. With a growing portfolio of decarbonization projects, this team is well-placed to fast-track our transition to a low-carbon future.  

Decarbonization of the maritime sector also remains a global challenge, and we continued to work with other shipping industry participants to accelerate industry-wide change, signing a formal call for decisive action toward full international shipping decarbonization by 2050.   

We also progressed on our journey to link LDC’s financing model to environmental performance metrics, with all our regional revolving credit facilities now comprising a sustainability-linked interest rate mechanism. 

Importantly, we continued to drive supply chain traceability in 2021, in particular for soy and palm, through land-use and sourcing profile mapping, and by adopting new technologies and methodologies that facilitate verification. Continuing to improve the processes that monitor and inform product sourcing decisions is key to successfully implementing LDC’s commitment to zero deforestation and conversion of native vegetation in our supply chains by the end of 2025.  

Engaging with farmers to understand their challenges is equally key in this respect, in order to drive lasting positive change at the heart of the food chain. In 2021, we continued our work with a wide range of partners, including the Louis Dreyfus Foundation, to promote and incentivize the adoption of more sustainable farming practices, providing training and support to smallholder farming communities to improve their livelihoods, farm yields and food security for the long-term.   

We will report extensively on our progress in driving sustainable development and practices as part of our upcoming 2021 Sustainability Report.