Sustainability at Bayer is an integral part of a corporate policy geared to long-term success and innovative solutions. This commitment is also evidenced by the company’s participation in numerous initiatives and projects around the world. On this page you will find a selection of our activities with the corresponding descriptions and logos.
Bayer has long practiced the concept of Responsible Care. To achieve continuous improvement in the areas of health, safety and environment, the company has been guided by the principles of the voluntary Responsible Care initiative of the chemical and pharmaceutical industry since 1994 and by the Responsible Care Global Charter, which was last revised in 2006.
A member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development since 1997, Bayer was a CO-founder of German industry’s sustainable development forum “econsense” in 2000.
Bayer is a member of the German initiative for responsible corporate governance and follows its mission statement “Responsible care in business.”
Bayer is a founding member of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) initiative, also established in 2000, actively promoting its 10 principles through its support for the LEAD, “Caring for Climate” and “CEO Water Mandate” initiatives and numerous projects. In Brazil, for example, Bayer supports the Abrinq Foundation in its efforts to combat child labor, and in India the company participates in the “Learning for Life” initiative for the protection and advancement of children during their education.
Bayer’s collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has been in place since 2004 and has set standards in public-private partnerships. Among the long-standing joint activities is the “Bayer Young Environmental Envoy” program, in which young people from 18 countries on three continents participate.
In 2009 the company joined the UNEP Climate Neutral Network, which promotes low-CO2-emission industrial and social structures. To help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from relevant buildings worldwide, Bayer is also supporting the Sustainable Buildings and Climate Initiative of the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP SBCI) as part of its EcoCommercial Building Program.
The company places maximum importance on climate protection. Bayer has been included for six consecutive years in the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index (CDLI) published by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), an organization run on behalf of institutional investors, and in 2010 was also included in the CDP’s new Carbon Performance Leadership Index (CPLI).
For more than 50 years, Bayer has supported family planning programs in over 130 countries, focusing on cooperation with private and public relief organizations such as the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). In the fight against tuberculosis, Bayer is cooperating with the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development, a U.S. non-profit organization, with the aim of developing a new drug that reduces treatment times. As part of its Sustainability Program, Bayer offers contraceptives at reduced prices in developing countries. Activities in the area of family planning also include educating teenagers on sexuality and health issues. In Uganda, for example, Bayer cooperates with the German Foundation for World Population (DSW) in this field.
Our sustainability reporting is based on the guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), which Bayer supports as an organizational stakeholder.