Pernod Ricard becomes the first company to support the IUCN’s “Agriculture and Land Health Initiative”, a new initiative for sustainable agriculture

On the occasion of the CEO Summit, in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron, Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank and Bruno Oberle, Director General of the IUCN, Alexandre Ricard, Chairman and CEO of Pernod Ricard, announced a new partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This announcement coincides with the IUCN World Conservation Congress, which for the first time will be held in Marseille, France, from 3 to 11 September. Through this collaboration, Pernod Ricard becomes the first corporate partner to support IUCN’s “Agriculture and Land Health Initiative”.  

The initiative strives to build a shared vision through a discussion platform, which brings together – around tangible projects – public and private sector actors including governments, NGOs, companies, land managers, scientists and experts who all share a single objective: build commitments for accelerated action towards sustainable agriculture.  They will also join forces to promote and highlight the scientific and economic benefits of sustainable agriculture, encouraging decision makers to adopt this approach on a wider scale.
 
For Pernod Ricard, this partnership is first and foremost a continuation of a longstanding commitment to nature. Over half a century ago, in 1966, its founder created the Paul Ricard Oceanographic Institute in response to pollution in the Mediterranean Sea. A genuine observatory of the Oceans, today it continues to fight for the protection of marine ecosystems, combining scientific research with awareness-raising initiatives.
 
All of Pernod Ricard’s iconic brands take their character from natural ingredients (wheat, barley, agave, sugar cane, grapes) and the terroirs where they are grown. As part of its 2030 Sustainability and Responsibility roadmap, ‘Good Times from a Good Place’, the Group is committed to nurturing every terroir and its biodiversity and responding to the challenges of climate change to ensure quality ingredients now and for generations to come. To do this, Pernod Ricard has been working with farmers, suppliers and partners to develop sustainable and regenerative agriculture practices and biodiversity conservation programmes, including in the vineyards of Cognac and Champagne, as well as in India, New Zealand and Ireland, among others. By becoming the first company to join this new global initiative, Pernod Ricard is committing to accelerating the transition to sustainable agriculture as a way of addressing climate change and biodiversity loss. This initiative will take a multi-stakeholder approach to help build ambitious commitments to sustainable agriculture, share best practices and monitor our collective impact.

“All our products are closely connected with nature – they take their character, their identity and their quality from the terroirs where they are grown. Biodiversity is an essential element to the equilibrium of these ecosystems. Valuing, protecting and conserving it so that we can pass on healthy terroirs to future generations is therefore not only a moral and civic obligation but also a necessity for the future of our Group. That is why we are both proud and honoured to be more actively involved alongside the IUCN in order to demonstrate the importance of agriculture that is more respectful of the land and its ecosystems.” said Alexandre Ricard, Chairman and CEO of Pernod Ricard.