How McCormick Cut GHG Emissions and Strengthened US Farmer Resilience

McCormick has made a strong commitment to climate action, publicly pledging to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 with targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). This ambition is a key building block of the company’s sustainability strategy and helps ensure that efforts across the value chain are aligned and focused on generating measurable, science-based impact.

To credibly account for environmental outcomes in commodity supply chains, McCormick applied SWOF’s “supply shed” methodology. This approach defines a geographic region that reflects sourcing areas for dairy, allowing for measurable sustainability outcomes even when direct traceability to individual farms is not possible. By targeting states like Minnesota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Iowa—and later expanding to the eastern U.S.—the program ensured that improvements were tied to McCormick’s actual sourcing footprint.

Once these key regions were identified, McCormick engaged the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund (SWOF) as a contracted partner to implement a program that supports farmers adopting climate-smart practices. SWOF then reached out to local farmers, in McCormick’s supply sheds, who may be interested in adopting new conservation practices. 

Farmers provided initial information such as historical field data (3–5 years of crop rotation, planting dates, fertilization, and tillage practices), enabling accurate baseline assessments. SWOF offered not only financial incentives but also technical and agronomic support, including data assistance, one-on-one engagement, and on-site field verification through in-person visits to confirm conservation practices and capture on-site photos. 

Through this collaboration, U.S. farmers are incentivized to implement regenerative agriculture practices that improve soil health, conserve water, and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Farmers committed to adopting at least one new conservation practice beyond their baseline operations—such as reduced tillage, cover cropping, or extended crop rotation—ensuring that the program delivers measurable improvements in the carbon footprint of farming operations.

The program was designed with farmers’ needs in mind, offering one-year contracts and allowing participants to trial practices on a subset of their fields. This flexibility reduced adoption risks and encouraged ongoing participation. SWOF reports a re-enrollment rate above 90% across its programs, underscoring the value farmers see in continuing with climate-smart practices.

The project was led by McCormick’s Procurement team, with Sustainable Sourcing taking the lead on implementation. The Corporate Sustainability team also played a critical role by identifying the opportunity and acting as a bridge between commercial teams and technical experts working on sustainability. This cross-functional approach ensured both operational feasibility and alignment with McCormick’s broader climate commitments.

Identifying shared interests among internal and external stakeholders allowed the company to develop tangible initiatives and foster cross-functional collaboration. In this context, PepsiCo, a key McCormick customer with an existing relationship with SWOF — played an important role. Both companies shared the goal of lowering GHG emissions and had jointly prioritized reducing emissions and advancing regenerative agriculture.

Educating internal stakeholders early in the process can be critical, but it is important to present them with a clear, tangible idea. Engaging too early without structure may lead to skepticism and slow down progress.

The development and implementation of such programs requires flexibility, persistence, and the ability to quickly adapt to challenges. Proposing fast alternatives was key to keeping momentum.