The Harmony Program

European wheat sustainability program of Mondelez International dedicated to help mitigating climate change and reversing biodiversity loss.

Since 2008

Discover Harmony

Why did we create Harmony?

Wheat farming today is changing, as factors such as climate change and the need to mitigate biodiversity loss shape the future of the industry and the futures of the farmers we work closely with. And as a major buyer of wheat, we know we must play a key role in helping to tackle these challenges.

What is our mission?

Wheat is the number one ingredient in the biscuits we make at Mondelēz International, and as Europe’s largest biscuit maker, we have long been committed to improving the sustainability of the wheat we source. We are on a mission to help tackle the biggest environmental challenges in wheat farming, which includes mitigating climate change and reversing biodiversity loss, while supporting our farmers.

Where are we now?

Created as the first program of its kind in 2008 with just a handful of farmers in France, the Harmony program now collaborates with more than 1 1000 farmers across 7 European countries - France, Spain, Italy, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Belgium, uniquely combining scale with a pioneering local partnership approach.
The Harmony program champions farming practices that aim at improving soil health, reducing carbon emissions, protecting biodiversity, and preserving water.

HARMONY KEY DATA 2023*

~96

of wheat volume needed

for our Europe biscuits production was grown under the Harmony charter**

~399998
tons of Harmony wheat harvested
1113
Harmony partners farmers in 7 European countries
~56998
hectares of Harmony Grown
~1798
hectares of Harmony fallows dedicated to biodiversity

~16

million bees

and

butterfly species

observed in Harmony fallows

What about France?

12,700

wheat hectars grown

572

farmers growing the wheat

525

hectars dedicated to biodiversity

*Harmony Data 2023 - European business unit; excluding portfolio manufactured in newly acquired plants

**This reported information for wheat volume sourced is partially based on a mass balance approach. ...

Meet the 4 pillars

When it comes to baking our delicious biscuits in line with the Harmony program,
we have four pillars that support our mission:

good wheat

for good biscuits

We want to ensure the best quality and resilient wheat for our biscuits

We choose the wheat that’s best suited to local soil and climate, and tailor our varieties to produce the perfect flour for each biscuit recipe. To ensure it undergoes meticulous quality controls, we’ve developed a robust data reporting system that allows us to trace every single grain from wheat storage all the way to the bakery.

Our fields are located as close as possible to our bakeries.

We aim to shorten transport time and limit the impact of our logistic on the environment. To do so, we collaborate with farmers that grow Harmony wheat as close as possible to the place where our beloved biscuits are produced.

Our Harmony charter aims to protect the environment and local biodiversity.

The Harmony program champions farming practices that aim at improving soil health, reducing carbon emissions, preserving air and water, along with supporting biodiversity since the start of our journey. Our charter requires that each partner farmer sets up at least one action in favor of biodiversity. Examples of actions: to dedicate a minimum of 3% of Harmony wheat field to honey fallows flowers for pollinators, or reducing soil tillage to limit erosion, improve water retention and enhance soil health.

We work with farmers and the whole wheat supply chain across 7 European countries to meet our goals.

We are proud to collaborate with an exceptional group of farmers, millers, cooperatives : the whole wheat chain- is part of the Harmony program, from the wheat cultivated by the farmers to the biscuits produced in our factories. All together, we are evolving the charter every year to keep reducing our impact on the environment and fulfill the commitments of the Harmony program.

MEET OUR FARMER PARTNERS

Get to know our partners better as they share their experiences and express what the Harmony program means to them.

Biodiversity, including life in the soil of my fields, is very important to me; it is essential and at the heart of my job.

Eric, Farmer Harmony France

Harmony provides real support and monitoring for my farming activity. Applying the charter is beneficial not only for my farm and the environment, but also for the fertility of the soil, a farmer's most precious asset.

Marie Hélène, Farmer Harmony France

I'm taking concrete steps to reduce my impact, like the 3 km of hedges I've already planted in 10 years. That's what being a farmer is all about: working ever harder for biodiversity while feeding the men and women of the planet.

Emeric, Farmer Harmony France

Accelerating Our Progress with

The Harmony program, changing the way wheat is grown in Europe

Our Next chapter embeds Regenerative Agriculture into the Harmony program.

Harmony Ambition 2030 is fully rooted in Regenerative Agriculture. It is a holistic approach to farming which aims to produce high-quality crops while also restoring the natural rhythm of our surrounding ecosystem. We focus on making a lasting impact across 3 key areas:

Helping to mitigate climate change through a strengthened charter of farming practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Helping to reverse biodiversity losses by widening our action from Harmony plot to whole farms and from pollinators to overall wildlife, while aiming to eliminate the most damaging pesticides.

Supporting farmers in their transition to Regenerative Agriculture by providing a holistic package of tools to digitize reporting and monitor environmental impact, as well as digital and on the ground trainings.

Find out more about our meetings with farmers in the field :

harmony tour - june 2023

Helping our consumers to play an active role in environmental and biodiversity protection and prove that our biscuit brands can help contributing to a better future.

Learn more on our activation “In Harmony with bees"

bee.harmony.info

Working Together
for a Greener Tomorrow

From the wheat field to our biscuit factories, Harmony is there to support each stage!

With farmers, cooperatives, millers, environmental experts, we’ve crafted the Harmony movement, not just a program.

Our common objectives for the Harmony Charter are to:

Carefully select, trace and control wheat
Reason pesticides and fertilizers usage
Care for the soil and water
Enhance biodiversity

Learn more about our traceability system

Our robust data reporting system ensures traceability from wheat storage to our biscuit-making hubs, keeping track of all the wheat along the way. Plus, it’s not just words : we prove it with over 270 audits yearly conducted by independent and certified organizations, so we can guarantee compliance with Harmony charter.

Learn more about our improvement approach

We share our key results with our wheat chain partners to fuel a continuous improvement approach, and our Harmony charter is reworked each year to reduce our environmental footprint further.

Learn more about the Harmony Council Initiative

We created the Harmony Council, a gathering of specialists from diverse backgrounds aimed at helping Harmony to establish a more sustainable wheat supply chain from environmental, social, and economic perspectives. They provide recommendations to support our commitment to regenerative agriculture.

Click here to learn more about Harmony Council

Taking a co-constructed

Approach since 2008

Harmony farmers are our partners. They share our values and commitment to supporting more sustainable farming practices. They grow wheat close to our factories and apply the demanding Harmony charter, which aims to help mitigate climate change and reverse biodiversity losses.

Now you can be part
of the Harmony journey

We want you to join us on the Harmony journey.
All you need to do is pick up a pack of our delicious biscuits. The good news is your favorite pack likely got included!