Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: Cargill Inc (Cargill) appears to take positive top-line communications on climate change policy, but takes less clearly supportive positions on land use-related climate policy in the US and EU. The company is a member of industry associations engaging with negative positions on climate policy including the US Chamber of Commerce and FoodDrinkEurope.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Cargill appeared to have broadly supportive top-line messaging on climate policy in 2022-25. The company stated support for limiting warming to 1.5°C in a January 2023 joint statement which also supported the UN Paris Agreement target. In its 2024 ESG Report published in August, the company stated support for government action to address climate change, although did not provide any more detail, and also reiterated its support towards the Paris Agreement. However, in the same report, Cargill suggested uncertainty in the science of climate change, claiming that 'there are no easy answers to solving problems like climate change'.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: Cargill appeared to have limited engagement with climate-change related regulations in 2022-25. In its 2024, 2023 and 2022 CDP Climate Change Disclosures, the company stated support for the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) with minor exceptions, supporting an EU carbon market but emphasizing the importance of maintaining the competitiveness of EU industry. Cargill supported the EU Renewable Energy Directive with minor exceptions in its 2024, and 2022 CDP Climate Change Disclosure, stating it supported the ambition of the policy and the role of renewable energy to reduce fossil fuel imports, although it did not state clear positions on measures related to the overall transport target and renewable fuels.
Engagement with Land-Use Related Regulations: Cargill appeared to take broadly negative positions on land-use related regulations in 2022-25. The company suggested it does not support consumer habit changes or reducing the production of livestock in its 2022 ESG report, released in November 2022, seeming to emphasize innovation and feed and grazing management as solutions to GHG emissions in the livestock sector, a position that was repeated in its 2024 CDP Climate Change Disclosure. In a January 2023 joint statement, the company appeared broadly supportive of policy to make agricultural production more efficient, but took an unclear position on the need for dietary transition. In December 2022 meeting minutes between Cargill and members of EU Commissioner Frans Timmermans’ Cabinet, sourced via a Freedom of Information (FOI) Request, the company appeared broadly supportive of the EU’s Sustainable Food Systems Legislation. However, in March 2023 meeting minutes sourced via a FOI request, Cargill appeared to support the legislation with some exceptions that have an unclear impact on the policy, as it advocated for a holistic rather than a sector by sector approach, in contrast to the EU Commission.
The company stated it supported the EU Regulation on deforestation-free products with major exceptions, advocating for a commodity-by-commodity approach in its 2023 CDP Climate Change Disclosure. However, in its 2023 ESG Report, published in November 2023, the company appeared broadly supportive of the regulation. In its 2023 CDP disclosure, Cargill supported elements of the US Growing Climate Solutions Act, to scale up carbon credits for climate-smart agricultural practices, and the US Farm Bill, to promote regenerative agriculture, with minor exceptions, advocating for voluntary incentives. Cargill strongly supports biofuels, without acknowledging potential trade-offs or negative impacts, for example, in a March 2024 press release. The company stated strong support the use of crop-based biofuels in its 2023 CDP Disclosure but failed to make reference to any potential negatives.
Positioning on Energy Transition: Cargill appears broadly supportive of the transition of the energy and transport sectors. In its 2023 ESG Report, published in November 2023, the company stated support for policies to decarbonize manufacturing, fuel and energy sourcing. In the same report, Cargill communicated broad support for renewable fuels to decarbonize the transportation sector, but it is unclear if this position is aligned with IPCC advice on delivering 1.5°C warming. The company stated support for the use of bioenergy to decarbonize the transport and energy sectors in a news release in March 2024. The company reported lobbying on energy-related tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act in its Q3 2022 Federal Lobbying Disclosure but did not disclose a position.
Industry Association Governance: Cargill disclosed a list of its memberships to industry associations but without reference to climate policy positions. The company excluded several associations which are actively engaged on climate policy with negative positions, such as the US Chamber of Commerce and The German Chemical Industry Association (VCI). The company is also a member of FoodDrinkEurope, an association that supports land-use related climate regulations with several exceptions. The company has not published a review of its alignment with its industry associations.
InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q3 2025.