Zoom imageSex education: Bayer supports a campaign being implemented by the German Foundation for World Population (DSW ) in Ugandan schools, youth centers and marketplaces.
The recently published Sustainable Development Report 2009 documents the progress made by Bayer in projects focusing on global health care, nutrition for a growing world population and climate protection. The 116-page publication vividly illustrates how Bayer is specifically helping to solve these global challenges with its Sustainable Development Program. The report also provides detailed information on further achievements in the field of sustainability.
“For us, sustainability essentially means ensuring future viability. It is therefore firmly established in our core business. This has proven its worth in the global financial and economic crisis. We are aiming for sustainability in everything we do,” says Werner Wenning, Chairman of the Board of Management of Bayer AG, in the foreword.
The Focus Issue sections and the Performance Report have been certified by corporate auditors Ernst & Young. The overall report is aligned to the guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the internationally recognized standard for sustainable development reporting, from which it received an “A+” – the highest possible rating.
In implementing the eight lighthouse projects of the Sustainability Program launched at the end of 2009, the company is concentrating on its innovative capabilities. “Innovation is the driving force in our sustainability-focused corporate strategy,” says Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Plischke, the member of the Bayer AG Board of Management responsible for Innovation, Technology and Environment.
One example is health care. To give women in developing countries access to safe contraceptives at affordable prices, Bayer is extending its cooperation with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The company has applied for the first marketing authorization in Ethiopia. A further 10 African countries will follow in the coming three years, the next being Tanzania and Uganda.
In the field of nutrition, Bayer CropScience maintains “Food Chain Partnerships” in 40 countries. Here the company is working with farmers and other players in the food industry to raise agricultural yields, increase food quality and improve the income situation of farmers. By 2011, the program aims to include 125 projects in India involving 65,000 farmers focusing on vegetable crops.
In the area of climate protection, Bayer has adhered to its objective of investing €1 billion in climate-relevant research and development and associated projects between 2008 and 2010, despite the effects of the global financial and economic crisis. The Sustainable Development Report explains which measures the company is implementing. It also gives detailed qualitative and quantitative information on relevant sustainability parameters such as safety data, resource consumption and emissions.
Within the context of its corporate social responsibility, the Bayer Group invested some €45 million in 2009 in the promotion of education and research, the meeting of basic social and health needs, environmental protection and support for sports and culture. Bayer views these activities, too, as an important contribution to safeguarding society’s ability to thrive in the future.