How McCormick Partners for Regenerative Agriculture in US

When global flavour innovation leader McCormick & Company set out to address climate challenges within its supply chain, the solution wasn't found in isolation.

Operating across 29 countries and selling products in 150 countries and territories, the company recognised that meaningful sustainability outcomes could only be achieved through strategic cross-industry partnerships.

The result was a three-way collaboration with PepsiCo and the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund (SWOF) that has scaled regenerative agriculture practices across the US supply chain, demonstrating how collaborative models can drive measurable environmental impact.

The United Nations (UN) Global Compact has showcased McCormick's journey as a case study, showing how collaboration can make an impact in sustainable food production.

For executives in food and agriculture, this partnership model offers a blueprint for addressing shared supply chain vulnerabilities through collective action rather than individual effort.

McCormick's reliance on agricultural systems means the company's resilience is directly connected to that of farmers, which is at the centre of the supply chain.

Agriculture faces mounting environmental pressures and systemic risks, including soil degradation and water scarcity.

However, many farmers struggle financially to implement climate-smart practices, with high upfront investments required.

This financial barrier presented an opportunity for cross-industry cooperation, where multiple stakeholders could share costs and expertise to overcome obstacles that individual actors couldn't address alone.

Strategic alignment drives partnership success

The foundation of McCormick's collaborative approach began with establishing shared objectives.

McCormick has set itself a target to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, with its goals validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

Rather than pursuing this target independently, the company worked on mapping its supply chain, applying SWOF's supply shed methodology.

This defines a geographic region that reflects sourcing areas for dairy, which allows for measurable sustainability outcomes.

Once key sourcing regions were identified, McCormick partnered with SWOF to implement a programme that supports farmers adopting sustainable practices.

The partnership model enabled resource pooling, with SWOF providing financial incentives and technical and agronomic support to farmers.

Participants provided data to SWOF, including crop rotation, planting dates, fertilisation and tilling practices, creating transparency that allowed all partners to track progress against shared goals.

Measurable outcomes validate collaborative investment

The partnership's first year delivered quantifiable results that justified the collaborative investment model.

McCormick's funding helped support more than 100 farmers in adopting regenerative agriculture practices across more than 80,000 acres of farmland in the US Midwest.

These efforts led to the abatement of more than 50,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

Such outcomes demonstrate how pooled resources and coordinated technical support can achieve scale impossible for individual organisations.

Kathy Rostkowski, Chief Sustainability Officer at McCormick & Company, said on LinkedIn: "At McCormick & Company, sustainability includes protecting the ingredients and communities that make our flavours possible – and ensuring our business can thrive for generations to come. That means advancing our climate readiness and strengthening farmer resilience.

"Proud to see McCormick featured in this new United Nations Global Compact case study – showing how we're cutting GHG emissions and strengthening resilience for US farmers.

"That impact matters, but so does how we got there: clear leadership, cross-functional collaboration and strong value-chain partnerships – including with PepsiCo and Soil and Water Outcomes Fund. It's a powerful example of teams and partners working together to deliver real, measurable impact."

Replicating the partnership framework

According to the UN Global Compact, a key internal outcome was showcasing the strategic value of collaborative partnerships to achieve shared sustainability goals.

Off the back of this success, McCormick hopes to replicate the programme with other customers and suppliers, which allows for cost-sharing while accelerating climate progress in the food sector.

The company has taken lessons from the project, including that identifying shared interests among stakeholders can bring cross-functional collaboration to advance sustainability targets.

For agriculture and food industry executives, this model demonstrates that partnership structures enabling cost distribution, knowledge sharing and coordinated technical support could deliver environmental outcomes that justify investment.

Kathy says: "McCormick will continue to build on this strategic supply chain partnership – collaborating with our customers and key suppliers to champion regenerative agriculture practices that secure the future of flavour for generations to come."