How Bunge is Cutting Farming’s Environmental Impact
A significant portion of global emissions, alongside land and water use, come from food systems – between 21 and 37%, the IPCC estimates.
As a global agribusiness and food company, Bunge is deeply embedded in these systems but says it is committed to reducing its negative impact on the world.
Robert Coviello, Chief Sustainability Officer and Government Affairs at Bunge, said on LinkedIn: “At Bunge, our continued commitment to advancing sustainable agriculture is critical as the world manages uncertainty in global markets and increasingly unpredictable climate challenges.
“That’s why, through Bunge’s ongoing investments in low-carbon solutions, responsible supply chains and social impact programmes, we remain focused on driving real, scalable impact to support a more sustainable food system.”
Inside Bunge’s sustainability report
In Bunge’s 2025 Global Sustainability Report, the company achieved a 19.7% reduction in its Scope 1 and 2 emissions and 6.7% in Scope 3 against its 2020 baseline.
It also achieved 100% traceability and monitoring of all field sourcing for soybeans in priority regions of Brazil subject to deforestation and Land Use Change (LUC).
In Bunge’s facilities across Europe, it ceased use of coal and its regenerative agriculture programmes were expanded to Canada and Poland.
The company is also working to define new sustainability standards for agriculture, collaborating with the World Resources Institute on a multi-stakeholder effort to launch a free public tool for uniform LUC emissions reporting that is consistent and in alignment with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol
“Collaborating with a global agribusiness company like Bunge, with the scale and scope of its operations, was instrumental in informing our work,” Caroline Winchester, Head of Responsible Supply Chains at the World Resources Institute, says in the report.
“Their experience and insights were invaluable, helping to ensure that our methodology for calculating land use change emissions is applicable in the real-world context.
“This standardised tool, along with other resources, will enable businesses to advance toward their sustainability goals in the same way that Bunge has.”
Non-deforestation and regenerative agriculture
Current focus areas in Bunge’s non-deforestation efforts include palm oil sourced globally and soy, grains and oilseeds sourced in South America.
Alongside its soy traceability achievements in Brazil, it aims to build on its shared efforts with stakeholders to identify opportunities for collaboration focussed on eliminating commodity-driven deforestation.
The company says it is also committed to both sourcing and processing traceable and sustainably produced palm oil.
In 2024, the company expanded its regenerative agriculture programme and grew existing programmes in the US, Brazil and Hungary.
In Brazil, it doubled the number of farmers engaged in its programme throughout the year and expanded the area in its pilot project from 250,000 hectares to 245,000 hectares.
It enrolled 121,405 hectares of canola in Canada and around 24,000 hectares and three more facilities in the Eastern Corn Belt of the US.
Science-based targets
Bunge announced near-term science-based targets in 2021 aiming for a 25% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions and a 12.3% reduction in Scope 3 by 2030 against a 2020 baseline.
These were validated by the SBTi and the company says it is on track to achieve them.
The company has surpassed its 2026 goals of reducing waste and water use by 10%.
Bunge says that approximately 82% of its total waste generated was reused or recycled in 2024 and its waste to landfill intensity reduced by 13.5%.
It also achieved a 17.2% water intensity reduction.
