HowGood and Watershed unite to transform sustainability reporting in the agrifood sector

By Agroempresario.com 

In a move set to reshape sustainability tracking in the agrifood industry, HowGood and Watershed have announced an expanded partnership aimed at providing a fully integrated platform for companies with significant food and beverage footprints. The collaboration merges HowGood’s vast agricultural data capabilities with Watershed’s enterprise-level carbon management tools, offering a streamlined solution for sustainability reporting.

HowGood, known for its extensive sustainability intelligence platform, sources information from more than 600 global databases to analyze the impact of over 33,000 food ingredients. Watershed, meanwhile, serves as a key resource for corporate carbon tracking and reporting, used by companies like Spotify and General Mills. Together, the two companies are poised to offer what they call a “comprehensive sustainability reporting platform.”

“We’re seeing more companies approach us with a mandate to get more accurate with Scope 3 reporting,” said Michael Streitberger, head of partnerships at HowGood, in conversation with AgFunderNews. “We saw an opportunity to jointly [work] on some of these things.”

The technical integration is designed to be seamless. According to Streitberger, HowGood is collaborating closely with Watershed’s product and engineering teams to ensure the combined platform feels like a single interface. This eliminates the need for sustainability teams to toggle between tools when assessing critical data such as upstream agricultural emissions.

The partnership promises to deliver granular agricultural emissions data—covering ingredients, commodities, and verified Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions—alongside actionable reduction strategies. Current joint customers include forward-thinking companies like Sweetgreen and Ingredion, both of which are heavily invested in sustainable food systems.

Scope 3 emissions, which include all indirect emissions occurring in a company’s value chain, remain a daunting challenge for businesses across sectors. Regulatory frameworks in regions like the European Union (CSRD), California (SB 253), and New York (Senate Bill 3456) are increasing pressure on companies to disclose these emissions comprehensively.

However, the regulatory landscape is inconsistent. While some governments push for more rigorous climate disclosures, others are rolling back environmental policies. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, for example, has reversed several climate-related rules as part of a broader deregulatory agenda. This has led some major agrifood players, like Unilever, to reduce or retreat from their climate commitments.

Despite these headwinds, Streitberger sees a silver lining. “Maybe it was a release at the pressure valve in a certain sense,” he said, noting that less regulatory pressure may allow companies to explore more innovative approaches to sustainability. “We don’t want to see all regulations go away. But it does feel as if sustainability teams have the opportunity to take a look at what they’re doing in different ways, and we’ve been there to pivot accordingly.”

By joining forces, HowGood and Watershed are not only helping companies comply with reporting mandates—they’re also enabling a more dynamic, responsive approach to building truly sustainable food systems.