STUTTGART, ARK. — Riceland Foods Inc. and Hill’s Pet Nutrition recently announced a new collaboration to incentivize Riceland farmer-members to incorporate sustainable practices in their rice farming. 

The Riceland-Hill’s Pet Nutrition Sustainable Rice Program will focus on helping these farmers overcome obstacles to adopting environmentally friendly practices. As a result of the updated farming practices, Hill’s will receive Scope 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions.

“Hill's Pet Nutrition continues to enhance operations to produce high-quality pet nutrition with less environmental impact,” said Bas Tabak, senior director of direct procurement for Hill's Pet Nutrition. “We are actively collaborating with our suppliers, like Riceland Foods, to identify ways to lower the carbon footprint across various ingredients, including rice, while also finding ways to support farmers as they transition to environmentally friendly farming practices.”

As part of Riceland’s Carbon Ready Program, the goal of this collaboration is to continue the growth and momentum the program has received since it launched in 2022. 

“While farmers are constantly adapting their production practices to do more with less, the razor-thin margins they are faced with amplify the risk of changing too much, too soon,” said Adam Shea, vice president of government affairs and sustainability for Riceland. “That’s where programs like the Riceland-Hill’s Pet Nutrition Sustainable Rice program come into play. The ability to quantify the environmental impact generated through these practices and use them to help our customers achieve their climate goals creates a win-win for everyone involved.”

Through its partnership with Arva Intelligence, Riceland is able to quantify Scope 3 GHG emission reductions. Arva will quantify the carbon reductions associated with the various sustainable farm practices in the program to provide the “proof points” to help Hill’s achieve its goal of reducing its Scope 3 GHG emissions by 42% by 2030.

“It is an honor to serve Riceland members and their clients with an impactful sustainability solution that rewards farmers for their environmentally beneficial stewardship and helps companies like Hill’s Pet Nutrition to meet their corporate emission reduction goals,” said Jay McEntire, co-founder and chief executive officer of Arva Intelligence. 

McEntire added, “We are proud that Riceland Carbon Ready program and partnership has become one of the leading sustainability programs that provides a win-win solution across the supply chain.”

Read more about sustainability efforts across the pet food and treat industry.