Natural Color Supplier Partnered to Track Carbon Footprints
Food companies will now have access to granular emissions data for natural colors used in many common consumer goods.
Updated on Oct. 8, 2026 in Organic Food
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Oterra has launched a partnership with HowGood to provide detailed carbon emission tracking for its portfolio of natural food colors. This collaboration helps food manufacturers better assess the environmental impact of their ingredients.
Why it matters
As consumer demand for natural colors grows, food companies require precise sustainability metrics to meet environmental goals and improve ingredient transparency. This partnership provides the granular data needed to align ingredient supply chains with corporate climate commitments.
The partnership leverages HowGood’s sustainability intelligence platform, which currently tracks emissions for over 30,000 ingredients and materials. While the technology is established, the specific impact reductions for Oterra’s catalog are still under development.
The players
Oterra
A global supplier of natural food colors that maintains significant manufacturing operations in Wisconsin.
HowGood
A sustainability intelligence firm that provides emissions data for over 30,000 food ingredients and chemicals.
The details
The collaboration integrates HowGood’s emissions-tracking technology directly into Oterra’s supply chain, automating the reporting process for food producers. By applying sustainability intelligence to natural colors, manufacturers can now evaluate these components with the same rigor used for mainstream commodities. Oterra also utilizes specialized methods like an Arctic Blue harvest system powered by geothermal energy, which the partnership aims to document more clearly.
Timeline
Oterra opened a new U.S. headquarters in Wisconsin in 2025.
The company aims to reach key sustainability milestones by 2030.
Health Landscape
This collaboration reflects a broader industry movement toward full-spectrum supply chain environmental reporting. It marks a shift where food producers seek to quantify the impact of minor ingredients with the same precision previously reserved for high-volume agricultural products.
While this data is primarily for manufacturers, it reflects a growing ability to track the environmental footprint of the products you buy. If you prioritize sustainable sourcing, check product labels for company sustainability reports that disclose their ingredient-level data.
The takeaway
The move toward ingredient-level carbon tracking means better transparency for the additives in your food. Consumers should look for brand transparency reports to see if their favorite products are using suppliers with verified environmental commitments.
Further reading
For context on how transparency influences food sourcing, see our section on Organic Food.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Food Dive.
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Should food companies be required to provide carbon footprint data for all ingredients they use?
