OCI Global is urging growers to factor fertiliser origin and production footprint into their buying decisions to mitigate hidden emissions.
Sam Leadbeater, sales manager, says that supply chains are demanding clearer carbon figures, and that farmers need to understand inherited emissions from fertiliser.
While questions about nutrient content, price and availability are common, he says that growers should also ask for more information about where the product has come from and how it was produced.
“Farmers have more influence than they realise,” he says. “When they ask these questions consistently, it forces the wider industry to respond and encourages merchants, importers and blenders to prioritise products with stronger environmental credentials.
“The more growers ask about fertiliser origin, the harder it becomes for the supply chain to ignore.”
He adds that decarbonisation does not have to start with expensive changes. The first step is understanding the emissions of products being used on farm.
“Two fertilisers can look identical on the shelf, but their production footprints can be vastly different depending on the site, the energy source used and the efficiency of the manufacturing process.
“Nitrate fertilisers produced in efficient western European facilities, particularly those using natural gas-based production and responsibly sourced ammonia, can offer lower-carbon options compared with products made using coal-based energy or less efficient ammonia production,” he says.