ESG Ratings
Our goal is a fair assessment of our sustainability performance by our stakeholders. We engage in regular dialogue with important ESG rating agencies, support the objective assessment of our company and to help us to better identify improvement opportunities and weaknesses in our own business. A current selection of ratings and rankings from the areas of sustainability / ESG is listed below.
For more information please refer to ESG Ratings and Rankings.
MSCI ESG Research updated the ESG Controversies Report on Bayer, including a reassessment of the critical section on “Environmental concerns over GMO crops”. The red flag related to this controversy was removed and Bayer’ rating improved from BB to A. The latest report is available in MSCI’s ESG Manager.
During the last years, Bayer was in continuous discussions with MSCI ESG Research and provided substantial information for their assessment. To specifically address concerns related to GMO crops, we published our Report about Genetically Modified Crops.
In 2021, ISS ESG removed its red flag on Neonicotinoids after we published a report in April 2021, in which we presented our measures for the safe application of the neonicotinoids class of insecticides, which have been the subject of criticism in some cases. The report focused on the systematically improved mechanisms to mitigate risks related to the various individual applications for crop protection products and on the implications for the further development of our product portfolio. In conjunction with our continuous dialogue with the ISS ESG rating agency, this publication achieved a significant improvement in the agency’s standards-based assessment of Bayer through the lifting of a “red flag.”
In 2021, CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) once again gave the highest rating (A) to our company’s climate strategy. We also achieved good results again in the areas “Water Security” (A-) and “Forests” (B).
The climate change A List and additional information is available at: https://www.cdp.net/en/companies/companies-scores
Information about the criteria and methodology applied by CDP can be found at: https://www.cdp.net/en/guidance/guidance-for-companies
In the three regional rankings of the Access to Seeds Index, we achieved an outstanding result in 2021 with first-place finishes (of 31 companies in each case) in the Western and Central Africa and Eastern and Southern Africa regions and a third-place finish (of 32 companies) in the South and Southeast Asia region. The ranking published by the World Benchmarking Alliance assesses and compares measures undertaken by seed companies to increase smallholder farmers’ productivity and thus improve food security.
Bayer is included in important sustainability indices:
