Harry Brot baked sandwich bread with flour made from CO₂-reduced wheat for the first time at its plant in Wiedemar. The wheat used has a 24%-lower CO₂ footprint and is the result of a joint project between Harry-Brot, Yara Germany and the Bindewald & Gutting Mühlengruppe. The three project partners and participating contract farmers presented the results of their collaboration on November 14 in Wiedemar.

The project was launched in August 2023, when 10 contract farmers from the Bindewald & Gutting Mühlengruppe used mineral nitrogen fertilizer made from renewable ammonia, instead of conventional nitrogen fertilizer. As Marco Fleischmann, Managing Director of Yara Germany, explained, the “green fertilizer” (Yara Climate Choice Renewable Fertilizer) is produced with renewable energy, meaning it has a 75-90% smaller CO₂ footprint. This greatly contributes to reducing the emission levels throughout the food value chain.

Norbert Lötz, Managing Director of Production and Technology at Harry-Brot, explained: “Sammy’s Super Sandwich from Harry loses nothing in terms of taste and quality”. However, the use of CO₂-reduced flour contributes significantly to achieving the company’s sustainability goals. The Super Sammy Sandwich lowered its carbon footprint by 8% using this wheat. “That may not sound like much,” says Lötz, ”but the average CO₂ value for wheat flour in Germany is significantly higher compared to our agricultural reference areas. If we used this as a basis, we would have a CO₂ reduction of around 17%.”

The data and calculations of the emissions saved in the project are being verified by the Berlin certification institute Control Union in the coming weeks.

The project proved that carbon reduction along the food value chain is possible and provided figures to back the claim.

According to an Ipsos survey, many German consumers are willing to pay a little more for climate-friendly products – but demand is ultimately decided at the supermarket checkout. “This is where politics can provide support,” emphasized Michael Gutting, Managing Partner of the Bindewald & Gutting Mühlengruppe, for example – by expanding renewable energies and clearly labeling climate-friendly products, he illustrated.

Photo: Harry Brot