As consumers demand to know more about the provenance of their food and the impact its production has on the environment, it is timely to consider the role that the supply chains of companies play in protecting soils from degradation. Soil degradation is increasingly considered as a commercial risk in supply chains, with soil quality a priority objective in retail-sector sustainability efforts. Many products and services rely on soils, and loss of productivity can be a significant risk. This interesting paper examines how soil sustainability features in accreditation schemes used by major food retailers and the potential influence these might have for soil protection. As many organizations and companies across different sectors are attempting to apply robust sustainability standards, it makes a timely contribution. It addresses four key questions: (i) To what extent are companies considering soil sustainability as part of their sustainability strategy? (ii) Do sustainability standards that companies use have a potentially meaningful impact on soil protection, and does that impact affect standards' market penetration? (iii) Are schemes that emphasize the environment more likely to have a stronger soil-related impact? (iv) What are companies' practical considerations in their application of soil protection criteria in voluntary sustainability standards?

This is an important forum article highlighting the lack of awareness into plant physiology in global soil carbon research. This issue is highly relevant as much of soil carbon cycling is driven by plant activity, in particular in the rhizosphere or related to plant symbionts. Their results are clear—the large majority of soil carbon studies do not include plant physiology even though a plant physiological perspective could provide novel or more mechanistic insights on soil carbon processes and could inform a new direction in soil carbon modelling.

This study investigates interactions between soil organic carbon (SOC) and calcium (Ca). It reveals that Ca contributes to SOC stability even in acidic soils, a finding that departs from previous assumptions that Ca's role is limited to neutral or alkaline soils. It also investigates the formation mechanisms driving the association of Ca with a characteristic fraction of SOC, highlighting the importance of decomposition processes in its formation. In this work, the authors employ advanced spectromicroscopy and targeted experiments to confirm that Ca binds SOC compounds rich in aromatic and phenolic groups after decomposition, preventing their loss as dissolved organic carbon. The identification of this biogeochemical mechanism has direct implications for improving soil carbon models and guiding Ca amendment practices in agriculture, enhancing soil carbon retention and contributing to climate resilience.