This impact story is part of a series featuring companies that are members of One Planet Business for Biodiversity (OP2B)/ World Business Council of Sustainable Development (WBCSD). Through these stories, we aim to showcase our members’ commitment to driving the transition to regenerative agricultural practices, the impact on farmers and the role OP2B plays in supporting this transformation. 

Unilever is advancing sustainable sourcing through its commitment to regenerative agriculture. Lucas Urbano, Head of Regenerative Agriculture and Sustainable Sourcing, and Jérémie de Charentay, Head of the Southeast Asia Hub at Livelihoods, lead a key Jasmine Rice project in Thailand aimed at enhancing farmer livelihoods and environmental sustainability. Local farmers involved in the project share their first-hand experiences, highlighting tangible impacts. 

Unilever’s vision and commitments 

Unilever’s journey with regenerative agriculture began in 2021 when the company recognized the escalating challenges in its supply chains, including soil degradation, rising fertilizer costs and increasingly volatile consumer expectations. “We realized that simply continuing with certifications and incremental improvements wouldn’t be enough,” explains Lucas Urbano. To address these issues, Unilever formulated the Regenerative Agriculture Principles with the aim of enhancing soil health, cutting CO2 emissions and increasing biodiversity, while placing farmers at the center of this transformation. 

The company has set an ambitious target to implement regenerative practices across one million hectares globally by 2030, which Urbano describes as “a North Star for our program.” This commitment is backed by a strategy focused on working in partnership with nature and local communities. Unilever’s regenerative approach spans 32 crops globally, including US soybeans (with PepsiCo) and tomatoes in Spain, with promising early results across key regions. 

Innovation is central to this approach, prioritizing tailored solutions over prescriptive methods. “We are not prescriptive; we co-create local solutions with farmers, leveraging their knowledge alongside ours to find what works best,” Urbano emphasizes. A comprehensive monitoring system tracks key areas such as climate impact, soil health, biodiversity, water management and farmer livelihoods. “Our robust MRV (Monitoring, Reporting and Verification) system ensures that outcomes are measurable,” he adds. 

The jasmine rice project in Thailand 

Jasmine rice, a premium variety of fragrant rice primarily cultivated in Thailand’s northeastern region, is vital to the country’s agriculture. Known for its long grains and delicate aroma, jasmine rice thrives in Thailand’s unique climate and fertile plains. It supports the livelihoods of millions of farmers and serves as one of Thailand’s most valuable export commodities. 

In this region, many farmers lack formal training in rice farming. They face challenges such as soil degradation, inefficient water management, and a lack of proper support. To address these challenges, Unilever partnered with Kasetsart University in Bangkok to introduce simple, cost-effective solutions. A major breakthrough came through soil testing, helping farmers reduce fertilizer use by 30-40%, cutting costs while improving soil health. “We’ve introduced cover cropping and organic input production, allowing farmers to replace expensive chemical fertilizers with more sustainable alternatives,” de Charentay adds. 

Local farmers are already seeing significant benefits. Thanyarat Worawongsong a farmer from Khon Kaen province shares, The soil has become looser and more fertile and we’re using fewer pesticides, making our crops safer and increasing our income.” Similarly, Suphaphon Chaiphuthon from Chiyaphume Province notes improved resilience to both flooding and drought.

With lower costs and higher yields, our income has improved compared to before.

Phonthip Phalanisong

The project has already achieved impressive outcomes, including reduced input costs and increased biodiversity. The next phase will scale the project to 4,000 hectares by 2025, with a long-term goal of covering 20,000 hectares. “Our endgame is to cover 100% of our jasmine rice supply with regenerative agriculture practices,” explains de Charentay. 

The role of WBCSD’s OP2B in transitioning to regenerative agriculture 

Unilever’s active role in the OP2B coalition is a cornerstone of its broader sustainability strategy.

The shift to regenerative agriculture requires new paradigms and definitions of success and coalitions like OP2B are essential in setting ambitious goals.

Lucas Urbano

Through OP2B, Unilever benefits from shared expertise from other companies, farmers and scientific communities. “OP2B helps redefine what agricultural success looks like – just in terms of productivity, but in environmental and social outcomes as well,” Urbano explains. “It also provides the peer control needed to ensure that the shift to regenerative agriculture is not just theoretical, but happens on the ground.” 

Jérémie de Charentay echoes this sentiment: “At Livelihoods, we strongly believe that change can only happen through coalitions. Be it at OP2B’s strategic level or at the project level, these coalitions are critical for peer support, exchanging solutions and ensuring true transformation happens both on the farm and in business.” 

Regenerative agriculture is a critical solution to transform the way we produce food, feed and fiber, benefiting the climate, nature and people. Over the next years, the OP2B coalition will focus on unlocking three strategic key levers for to scale up regenerative agriculture: harmonizing measurement, fostering collaborations to support farmers’ transition, advocating for supportive policies to create an enabling environment.