Germany: Sustainability Targets Bayer Announces Sustainability Package and Wants to Be Climate Neutral by 2030

Bayer has announced a package of measures for climate protection and new sustainability targets starting in 2020. In line with the UN goals for sustainable development and the Paris Climate Agreement, the company has set itself ambitious targets to be achieved by 2030.

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Leverkusen/Germany — Bayer has adopted a comprehensive strategy aimed at making the company climate-neutral by 2030 and firmly anchoring sustainability in its corporate goals. As the group announces, sustainability targets will be pursued and reported with the same rigor as financial targets. The goals will be integrated into decision-making processes and management compensation.

Furthermore, the company will establish an independent Sustainability Council consisting of external sustainability experts. Advising the Board of Management, the council will monitor and challenge the further development of their sustainability efforts.

To achieve these goals, the company aims to support 100 million smallholder farmers in low-and-middle income countries by providing access to more innovations, knowledge and partnerships. Within the same time frame, the group intends to provide 100 million women in low-and-middle income countries with access to family planning by funding multi-stakeholder aid programs and by ensuring the supply of affordable modern contraceptives.

Bayer announced that it is working on adapting its pricing policy towards local purchasing power and strengthening patient access programs to increase the availability and affordability of their products. The company also continues to support the World Health Organization (WHO) in fighting neglected tropical diseases with product donations and financial support.

In addition, the company aims to expand access to everyday health for 100 million people in underserved communities around the world. Today, at least half of the world’s population lacks access to essential health services, including self-care.

Significant Measures to Protect Climate and Environment

Bayer also announced that it is aiming to become carbon-neutral in its own operations by 2030. To accomplish this, the group will implement energy efficiency measures, switch to 100 % renewable electricity and offset the remaining emissions through biodiversity-enhancing carbon capture. The company is committed to the Science Based Targets Initiative and is already listed as a company that is taking action. In this project, started by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), the U.N. Global Compact, the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), more than 700 companies have committed to taking significant climate action and setting emission reduction targets to keep the increase in global temperature below 2 °C.

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In this regard, the company is striving for absolute emission reduction along the entire value chain by engaging with suppliers and customers, as well as in the company’s logistics and packaging.

The company will also collaborate with farmers to reduce the environmental footprint of agriculture wherever the company operates. Bayer aims to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions — per kilogram of crops produced in major agricultural markets – and the environmental impact of crop protection by 30 % by 2030 in each case. To this end, the group will help farmers apply more sustainable practices, such as reducing tillage to help sequester carbon in the soil, and ensuring the more precise use of crop protection and fertilizer through product innovation and digital tools.

Bayer’s sustainability commitments aim to achieve impact in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The United Nations agreed on 17 SDGs to build a better world for people and our planet by 2030. According to the UN, however, urgent and more rapid progress is needed. “With only ten years left, companies must live up to their responsibilities and act accordingly,” says Chairman Werner Baumann. “Bayer is positioned like only a few other companies to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals and this is precisely what our commitment is.”

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