McDonald's Joins Lantmännen's Finnish Cultivation Program
McDonald's becomes the first Finnish partner in Lantmännen's Climate & Nature cultivation program, which is expanding to include wheat. The agreement aims to reduce climate impact and promote biodiversity.
Lantmännen is expanding its Climate & Nature cultivation program to Finland, with McDonald's signing on as the first partner. The agreement signifies McDonald's commitment to sourcing wheat grown under the program's sustainability criteria, a move that supports Lantmännen's broader goals for climate-smart agriculture.
The Climate & Nature program employs specific field practices designed to lower climate impacts and enhance biodiversity. These include the use of low-carbon fertilizers, precision farming techniques, biofuels for machinery, and biodiversity initiatives such as flowering zones. The program was initially launched in Sweden in 2015 and introduced in Finland in 2021.
Under the new agreement, McDonald's in Finland will receive wheat cultivated according to the program's standards for its hamburger buns, building on an existing 30-year relationship with Lantmännen Unibake Finland. Approximately 40 Finnish contract farmers are expected to participate in wheat cultivation for the program by the 2026 harvest year.
This expansion adds wheat to the program's offerings in Finland, which previously focused on rye and oats. Around 150 Finnish farmers are already involved in the program. Lantmännen estimates that the program's measures can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from average Finnish wheat cultivation by up to 30 percent compared to baseline levels. Other partners in the Climate & Nature program include Spendrups, Coop, Paulig, and Stjärnägg.