Sustainably securing the nutrition of tomorrow

Kassel, 28.11.2019

Growing population figures, climate change, and globally changing consumer behavior are increasingly focusing on sustainable food security as a pressing challenge of our time. It is essential to forge alliances between industry, research and the start-up scene, and to promote innovative business models. At the invitation of K+S, Dr. Bernd Althusmann, Minister of Economics, Labor, Transportation, and Digitalization of Lower Saxony, as well as other stakeholders from politics, science and business as well as start-up companies met today at the K+S Sigmundshall site near Hanover. At the same time, the event marked the starting signal for the build-up of the new K+S Innopark in Sigmundshall.

“For a world without hunger, it is necessary that we offer sustainable solutions and innovative approaches to the issue of nutrition," said Dr. Burkhard Lohr, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of K+S, in his welcoming address. "We will only achieve this with innovations that are an important component of the Shaping 2030 corporate strategy for us.”

Today about 7.7 billion people live on earth. According to the latest UN projections, the population will rise to 9.7 billion by 2050. Economics Minister Dr. Bernd Althusmann called on companies in the agricultural and food industries to seize the opportunities this offers: "Companies in Lower Saxony are already successfully producing innovative foods from vegetable protein from peas, lupines, soybeans, pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds. I am convinced that this is not a short-term trend. The use of alternative protein sources for nutrition is one of the most promising strategies for safely feeding a growing world population."

Go-ahead for the development of the Innopark Sigmundshall

K+S will set up an innovations park at the Sigmundshall site in Wunstorf near Hanover, in particular in order to develop ideas for agriculture and the food of tomorrow. Here, concepts for securing world food supplies, technologies and processes will be worked on and digital ideas will be further developed. "With the Innopark, we are breaking new ground at the Sigmundshall site," says Alexa Hergenröther, Head of the Europe+ operating unit at K+S. "Here too, we want to develop new business ideas in cooperation with partners and start-ups. The natural resource that is now being mined in Sigmundshall is called innovation," Hergenröther continued. One of the first pilot projects in the new Innopark is a test plant for the cultivation of macroalgae, which are becoming increasingly important as a protein-rich alternative to meat. Scientists are investigating whether cultivation on an industrial scale is feasible and economical.

Note to editors

A video about Innopark Sigmundshall and more information can be found on our website, where you will also find printable photos of today's event. Check out the highlights on Twitter under @KS_innovates.

About K+S

K+S considers itself a customer-focused, independent minerals company for the Agriculture, Industry, Consumers, and Communities segments and wants to grow the EBITDA to € 3 billion by 2030. Our more than 14,000 employees enable farmers to provide nutrition for the world, solutions that keep industries going, improve daily life for consumers and provide safety in the winter. We continually meet the growing demand for mineral products from production sites in Europe, North and South America as well as a worldwide sales network. We strive for sustainability because we are deeply committed to our responsibilities to people, environment, communities and economy in the regions in which we operate. Learn more about K+S at www.kpluss.com.