dsm-firmenich Animal Nutrition & Health has announced a data collaboration with agricultural research specialist Kynetec aimed at improving the accuracy of environmental footprint calculations for feed raw materials.
Under the partnership, Sustell, dsm-firmenich’s life cycle assessment (LCA) platform, will integrate Kynetec’s global crop data, strengthening the platform’s feed ingredient data foundation across livestock and aquaculture systems. The integration is intended to provide feed manufacturers with more precise, region-specific sustainability metrics, addressing long-standing challenges associated with generic or outdated emission factors.
Kynetec has been collecting primary, farm-level activity data since 2020 through farmer surveys covering more than 90 crops in over 50 countries, including both major and minor feed crops. This dataset will now feed directly into Sustell’s modelling framework, improving the representativeness of crop-related environmental impacts across the farm-to-fork value chain.
Feed crops typically account for a significant share of the environmental footprint of animal protein production. According to dsm-firmenich, integrating real-world, geographically specific crop data allows feed manufacturers and producers to better identify footprint “hotspots”, assess sourcing decisions, and track improvements over time with greater confidence.
Dr David Nickell, Global VP Sustainability and Business Solutions at dsm-firmenich Animal Nutrition & Health, said the collaboration enhances the scientific robustness of sustainability assessments. “Partnering with Kynetec further strengthens … Sustell, bringing high-quality, real-world crop data directly into our clients’ life cycle assessments. This integration gives producers more accurate, regionally specific insights into the true footprint of their feed and farming systems, turning data into actionable improvements … across the animal protein value chain.”” he said.
From a feed manufacturing perspective, the improved data resolution is expected to support more informed formulation choices, evaluation of regenerative sourcing practices, and clearer communication with customers and downstream supply-chain partners. It may also help reduce audit risk as sustainability reporting requirements become more stringent.
Dr Rob Fetter, Global Sustainability Lead at Kynetec, noted that crop data has often been a weak point in footprint modelling. “By linking our globally representative, field-level data with Sustell, we’re giving farms and companies a clearer, more localised view of their true footprint,” he said.
The enhanced Sustell platform aligns with international sustainability and carbon accounting frameworks, including ISO 14067, the GHG Protocol Land Sector and Removals Standard, EU Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) and FAO LEAP guidelines. This alignment is particularly relevant for multinational feed manufacturers operating across multiple regulatory environments.
By combining crop-level data with feed and livestock system modelling, the partnership aims to close a critical data gap in sustainability assessments, supporting feed manufacturers as they move beyond reporting toward data-driven sustainability strategies tied to operational and commercial decision-making.
