Renier O'Donnell, leader of the food initiative at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, quoted by ES Magazine, underscores how farmers are joining global efforts to bring nature-positive food to supermarket shelves.

Stimulating Soil Biology

Against a backdrop of green hills and fields in the British countryside, thousands of dairy cows graze on lush pastures. Their hoof action stimulates soil biology and is part of the symbiotic relationship between grazing cows and natural processes.

Regenerative farms managed by a family caring for these cows and land – the equivalent of nearly 81,000 hectares of land with 4,200 kilometers of hedgerows and 1,800 hectares of woodland – are part of First Milk.

This farmer-owned dairy cooperative, behind the food brand Golden Hooves, is committed to adopting more environmentally friendly methods and helping regenerate nature across all their farms in the UK.

The products are made from the milk of these farms, thus renewing the soil on which the cows are raised.

Regenerative agriculture methods include reducing or minimizing soil disturbances, rotational grazing of animals, and encouraging biodiversity by removing monocultures and reducing chemical usage, which have been predominant in the industry for decades.

Huge Impact

These farmers – to major brands, retailers, and top consumer goods firms – have an incredible impact on the food we eat every day and the food systems from which ingredients come.

Our current food system is broken. It has an extremely negative impact on the natural world, generating a third of greenhouse gas emissions and half of human-induced biodiversity losses.

But new innovations show it doesn't have to stay that way. It is now universally recognized that the circular economy approach plays a significant role in mitigating climate change.

Circular design for food is key. This means putting nature at the heart of supply decisions and ingredient selection so we can continue to feed a growing population without negatively impacting our natural environment.

Redesigning food to be nature-positive can reduce greenhouse gases by 70% and halve the impact on biodiversity compared to business as usual, while also increasing food production and improving farmers' profits.

Big Food Redesign Challenge

Many key players in the food industry are beginning this journey. Through The Big Food Redesign Challenge, introduced by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, participants were tasked with designing new food products – or redesigning existing ones – using circular design principles.

Out of the 400 applications worldwide, 71 companies were selected to move to the next stage of the challenge.

Within the Challenge, we provide these and other companies with expert help with retail listings and support their innovative spirit in favor of design choices that allow nature to thrive.