AHEAD OF GROUNDSWELL’S GLOBAL PREMIERE AT THE CANNES INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, FILMMAKERS JOSH TICKELL AND REBECCA HARRELL TICKELL LAUNCH ONE BILLION ACRES CAMPAIGN

PR Newswire

CANNES, France, May 13, 2026

Campaign Calls on Brands and Companies Worldwide to Commit to the Regenerative Agriculture Transition: Nespresso is the first company to sign the pledge

CANNES, France, May 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Ahead of the Cannes Film Festival premiere of their latest movie Groundswell, award-winning documentary filmmakers Josh Tickell and Rebecca Harrell Tickell announce the launch of One Billion Acres, a landmark campaign to accelerate the worldwide transition to regenerative agriculture. Coffee brand Nespresso becomes the first company to sign the pledge.

The announcement arrives at a pivotal moment. Tickell and Harrell Tickell’s latest documentary, Groundswell, will be released globally on Prime Video on June 5th as the culminating chapter of their acclaimed soil trilogy, a body of work that has fundamentally shifted how the world understands agriculture’s role in the climate crisis. Where Kiss the Ground introduced the science of soil regeneration and Common Ground exposed the systemic failures of industrial farming, Groundswell expands the lens to agricultural systems worldwide, showing how regenerative agriculture can rebuild soil health, sequester carbon, restore biodiversity, and strengthen local economies from the coffee highlands of Central America to the grasslands of East Africa.

The filmmakers have spent more than a decade tracking the real-world impact of their work. Since the release of Kiss the Ground in 2020, over 30 million acres have transitioned to regenerative agriculture in the United States. Building on that momentum, the goal of the 100 Million Acres campaign, launched alongside Common Ground, is to catalyze the shift of 100 million acres of U.S. crop and rangeland into certified regenerative agriculture, a threshold the filmmakers believe represents the necessary tipping point for regenerative agriculture to enter the mainstream. With that milestone now within reach, Josh Tickell and Rebecca Harrell Tickell are going global.

Nespresso is the first company to sign the pledge as an Impact Partner, making a public commitment to have at least 75% of its agricultural supply chain verified or certified regenerative agriculture. The premium coffee brand has made regenerative agriculture a cornerstone of its supply chain strategy for the past several years, and hopes the One Billion Acres pledge will catalyse companies worldwide to invest in the transition.

“As we filmed Groundswell across the world, we met people restoring ecosystems, farms, and communities in ways that gave us real hope for the future. Our two children traveled with us throughout the making of this film, witnessing both the fragility of our planet and the extraordinary resilience of people working to heal it. One Billion Acres is about turning regenerative agriculture into a global movement, because the future our children inherit depends on what we do now,” said filmmaker and director Rebecca Harrell Tickell.

“With over 1,000 farms studied globally with stunning results on carbon capture, food production and taste, we now know regenerative agriculture can scale and now with Nespresso’s commitment to advancing regenerative agriculture worldwide, we also see major food brands making real world commitments to regenerating soil and natural ecosystems, and strengthening communities,” said filmmaker and director Josh Tickell.

Nespresso’s commitment to the campaign is anchored in years of investment. A section of the Groundswell movie was filmed on a coffee farm in Jardín, Colombia. Don Rubén participates in the Nespresso Sustainable Quality Plan and supplies beans to Nespresso.

“Regenerative agriculture is the future – and not only for high-quality coffee. Thanks to these incredible movies, including Groundswell, millions of consumers worldwide appreciate the benefits of regenerative agriculture and understand the positive impact they can drive through the brands they choose. By signing this pledge, we hope to inspire other companies to invest in the regenerative agriculture revolution,” said Alfonso Gonzalez Loeschen, CEO of Nespresso.

A broad coalition of brands have already taken the 100 Million Acres pledge, including: Serenity Kids, Maker’s Mark, Applegate, New Barn Organics, and many others.

One Billion Acres is actively seeking Impact Partners to join the campaign. By taking the pledge, brands signal to a dedicated and passionate audience of consumers that they are taking real, verifiable action to improve their supply chains. The campaign works with a broad spectrum of recognized regenerative certifiers, including Regenified, Land to Market, Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC), and Soil and Climate Initiative (SCI).

To learn more about One Billion Acres and how to get involved, visit onebillionacres.org.

ABOUT JOSH TICKELL

Josh Tickell is one of the world’s most influential environmental filmmakers, known for using the documentary lens not simply to document problems, but to engineer scalable, global solutions. His first feature film, FUEL (2008), won the Sundance Audience Award for Best Documentary and was released theatrically in the United States, later screening at the White House for energy and environment staff of the Obama Administration. The author of four books, Tickell has worked on environmental issues for over twenty years, with a career spanning science, journalism, and filmmaking. His 2017 Simon and Schuster book Kiss the Ground was an Amazon Bestseller in multiple categories. He is a frequent guest on CNN, NBC, and NPR and speaks internationally on regeneration and sustainability.

ABOUT REBECCA HARRELL TICKELL

Rebecca Harrell Tickell is an award-winning filmmaker, producer, director, author, and environmental activist whose work has helped catalyze the global regenerative agriculture movement through film, storytelling, and impact campaigns reaching millions worldwide. She made her screen debut in John D. Hancock’s Prancer (1989), a performance that charmed critic Roger Ebert. She has directed and produced more than 20 films focused on environmental and social transformation, helping bring regenerative agriculture and climate solutions into mainstream global conversation. While filming The Big Fix, a documentary about the BP oil spill, exposure to the dispersant used by the company caused a permanent skin condition, a personal sacrifice she has spoken openly about as part of her commitment to this work. She has been interviewed by The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, and the Today Show.

ABOUT NESPRESSO

Nestlé Nespresso SA is a pioneer and is widely regarded as one of the top references in the field of high-quality portioned coffee. The company works with more than 130,000 farmers in 18 countries through its Nespresso Sustainable Quality Plan to embed sustainability practices on farms and the surrounding landscapes. Launched in 2003 in collaboration with the NGO Rainforest Alliance, the program helps to improve the yield and quality of harvests, ensuring a sustainable supply of high-quality coffee and improving livelihoods of farmers and their communities.

In 2022, Nespresso achieved B Corp™ certification – joining an international movement of over 10,000 purpose-led businesses that meet B Corp’s high standards of social and environmental responsibility and transparency.

Headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nespresso operates in 96 markets and has over 14’000 employees. In 2024, it operated a global retail network of 818 boutiques. For more information, visit the Nespresso corporate website: www.nestle-nespresso.com.

CONTACT: Amy Prenner, amy@theprennergroup.com; Nespresso, wswnycnespressocorporate@webershandwick.com