Nordzucker Post 4/2025 - 30 October 2025
Agri Sustainability — reducing the carbon footprint of sugar beet with Yara fertiliser
In order to achieve our FLAG (Forest, Land and Agriculture) targets for reducing CO₂ emissions in sugar beet cultivation, we have initiated various pilot projects. One of these focuses on the use of CO₂-reduced nitrogen fertilisers from the fertiliser manufacturer Yara. The aim of the collaboration with Yara is to measurably reduce emissions in sugar beet cultivation.
Yara Germany and Nordzucker have agreed on a three-year cooperation (2024–2026) to specifically reduce CO₂ emissions in sugar beet cultivation. This is how Nordzucker’s FLAG targets are to be achieved. The FLAG targets are part of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and represent CO₂ reduction targets in the areas of forestry, agriculture and land use. By 2030, emissions in this area are to be reduced by 36 per cent compared to the base year 2018. At the heart of this pilot project are Yara Climate Choice mineral nitrogen fertilisers, which have a significantly lower carbon footprint than conventional nitrogen fertilisers. The reason: they are produced using renewable energies instead of fossil fuels. In terms of their fertilising properties, these fertilisers are no different from conventional products – the only difference is that they are produced with lower emissions. For this reason, the use of these fertilisers leads to a 10 to 15 per cent reduction in CO₂ emissions in sugar beet cultivation.
The fertiliser has been tested by Nordzucker in Germany since 2024. Twenty-five farms participated in the first pilot year. In the second year (2025), the project was extended to growers in Poland and Denmark. The number of participating farms has increased by a factor of five. Preparations for sowing in 2026 are already underway, and there are plans to expand the sugar beet cultivation area covered by the project once again.
The farmers apply the CO₂-reduced fertiliser to their sugar beet fields and deliver the harvested beets to us. As part of the project, we collected some basic information on the application of the fertiliser, including the areas where it was applied, application rates, and fertiliser planning details. This data is used for accompanying documentation and project development. The support of our beet growers is crucial to the success of the pilot project.
“The project with Yara is an important step towards achieving our CO₂ reduction targets in cultivation while meeting the requirements of our customers. The good level of participation in the project last year is an encouraging sign and shows that we are on the right track,” says Björn Kiepe, Head of Agri Consulting and Shared Agri Services.
The project is part of a comprehensive package of measures for decarbonisation in sugar beet cultivation. Other approaches, such as CO₂-reduced potash fertiliser or the use of HVO100 in beet harvesters, are currently being tested.
A limited quantity of Yara Climate Choice nitrogen fertilisers (YaraBela Sulfan & YaraBela Nitromag) is available from Nordzucker for sugar beet fertilisation in the 2026 growing year. Interested growers can obtain further details from their contacts at the Agricenters.
