Barilla details regenerative farming progress in 2025 sustainability report
The update forms part of Barilla‘s broader sustainability strategy, which seeks to integrate environmentally responsible farming methods while securing a reliable supply of high-quality raw materials for its pasta, bakery, and snack products.
ITALY – The Barilla Group has shared a series of sustainability milestones, including progress on regenerative agriculture, renewable electricity and community initiatives, with the publication of its 2025 Sustainability Report on World Environment Day.
Barilla Group has reported significant progress in advancing regenerative farming practices throughout its agricultural supply chain, highlighting the company’s continued efforts to improve soil health, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and strengthen wheat production resilience.
In 2025, the company purchased 4,160 tonnes of soft wheat from regenerative agriculture, with a target of 250,000 tonnes by 2030, to restore soil health and biodiversity while reducing water use.
Through its Barilla Sustainable Farming (BSF) program, active across key crops including cereals and basil, the Group has sourced over 816,000 tons of raw materials since 2010, engaging nearly 7,000 farmers.
The regenerative wheat sourcing underpins the Mulino Bianco Buongrano biscuit that reached shelves in 2025, the result of years of work involving crop rotations, minimum tillage, organic fertilization, and 2,000 hectares dedicated to biodiversity areas, which have driven a 40% increase in pollinating insects in areas monitored together with the University of Bologna.
The underlying Mill Charter programme now involves almost 2,000 soft wheat farmers and has enabled an annual reduction of about 9,000 tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions.
Barilla invested €30 million (US$34.18M) to quadruple its photovoltaic capacity across its pasta and bakery plants during the year, part of a larger five-year plan through 2030 worth €168 million (US$191.45M), focused on energy efficiency, renewable energy and sustainable water management.
Five new solar plants activated in Foggia, Melfi, Ascoli Piceno, Cremona and Thiva, Greece, brought installed photovoltaic capacity to over 8 MW, more than four times the 2022 figure, with further installations planned between 2026 and 2028 at bakery plants in Novara and Celle, Germany.
On water conservation, recycled and reused water at sites in water-stressed areas rose by 196% compared with 2022, moving Barilla closer to its 2030 target of a 250% increase.
The company also invested over €47 million (US$53.56M) in research, development, and quality, including the establishment of BITE (Barilla Innovation & Technology Experience), the new global Group innovation hub in Parma, next to the company’s historic pasta plant.
Paolo Barilla, Vice Chairman of the Barilla Group, said: “The future of the planet will increasingly depend on our ability to spread culture and education. For Barilla, this means caring for communities, promoting strong values, and investing in technologies and production systems that protect the environment and safeguard people’s health.”
In 2025, Barilla donated 4,000 tons of food products globally and allocated €2 million (US$2.27M) to social causes, supporting initiatives focused on inclusion, education and social well-being.
Alongside community programs, inclusion is also promoted within Barilla’s own operations through initiatives that foster equal opportunities and the integration of vulnerable groups across production sites, in line with the Group’s broader People and Social Sustainability agenda.
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