Puratos signs the Sustainable Wheat Initiative manifesto: Scaling sustainability from soil to shelf

Puratos is proud to announce our official support of the Sustainable Wheat Initiative Europe (SWIE) Manifesto, launched on June 5th, 2025, in Utrecht under the leadership of the Industrial Bakers Association (AIBI). This industry-wide initiative aims to accelerate the shift to sustainable agriculture, with the first goal of cutting CO₂-equivalent emissions from wheat and wheat flour in Europe by 30% by 2030 compared to 2022 levels, in line with the latest climate science.

As 80% of wheat’s carbon footprint originates at the agricultural level, Puratos is joining a united coalition of Europe's leading industrial bakery companies to accelerate the transition to low-carbon wheat and flour. This commitment is a major milestone in our long-term sustainability journey and a clear signal of our intent to help build a resilient, future-proof food system through deeper collaboration and scalable solutions across the entire value chain

The European bakery sector consumes approximately 25 million tons of wheat annually, resulting in an estimated 12.5 million tons of CO₂-equivalent emissions - most of it at the agricultural level.

The SWIE Manifesto sets a bold first ambition: to reduce wheat and wheat flour emissions by 30% by 2030, compared to 2022 levels, aligned – aligned with the latest climate science and forming part of a shared roadmap toward net zero by 2050. This will be achieved by gradually shifting from conventional wheat to more sustainable wheat, grown using more sustainable farming practices such as regenerative agriculture, and delivering a 30% lower carbon footprint per kilogram.

This shift supports healthier soils, more resilient farming communities, and more sustainable bread on our tables. This ambition is fully aligned with our commitment to the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi), through which we committed to setting validated, science-based emissions reduction targets across our entire value chain.

During the SWIE Symposium in Utrecht, our CEO, Pierre Tossut, underscored the critical need for long-term commitment,  collaboration across the value chain, and coordinated action to achieve meaningful sustainability outcomes:

Since 2022, we’ve launched six projects in four countries, focused on accelerating the industry’s shift to regenerative agriculture. We work closely with cooperatives like Farm For Good , and current suppliers such as Grands Moulins de Paris/Vivescia and Südzucker Group. These partnerships are helping farmers transition to regenerative practices, reducing tillage, minimizing synthetic inputs, and restoring soil health to ensure long-term resilience..

Our dedication to sustainable farming is about more than just good practices, it is about offering added-value products to our customers, better for the planet and people. This commitment is reflected across our Puratos product range, and particularly in our iconic Sapore sourdoughs, made with whole-wheat grown using regenerative methods in Belgium, the UK, and Australia.