Guided by our purpose “Science for a better life”, Bayer delivers breakthrough innovations in health care and agriculture. We contribute to a world in which diseases are not only treated but effectively prevented or cured, in which people can take better care of their own health needs, and in which enough products are produced while respecting our planet’s natural resources. That's because at Bayer, we believe that growth and sustainability should go hand in hand. In short, we are working to make our vision “Health for all, hunger for none” a reality.

Sustainability is one of the Bayer’s corporate strategic pillars and an integral part of our divisional business strategies, operations and compensation system. We make a positive contribution to society and the environment. Our ambitious targets for 2030, are fully in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and the climate targets of the Paris Agreement.

Our product portfolio, global market position, and commitment to innovation enable us to continue to make a significant positive contribution in solving some of the major challenges of our time. We are aware of the responsibility this carries and strive to proactively deliver on it. We also recognize that our impact is measured not only by what we have to offer but also by how we engage with society and communities around the world.

That is why we continuously aim to further elevate our efforts in transparency and in strengthening public trust in science. Underpinning our conduct are our Bayer Societal Engagement (BASE) Principles, which guide us and form the basis for our activities.

We have created a strong governance framework for our sustainability goals: Bayer’s CEO, Bill Anderson, is also the Chief Sustainability Officer. Since 2021, we have been including measurable sustainability targets in the long-term compensation of our management and Board of Management. Specifically, 20% of their long-term incentives are linked to success in meeting our access and sustainability goals.

Additionally, an independent Sustainability Council with nine internationally recognized experts advises our Board of Management and other functions within Bayer in all sustainability matters. It was founded in May 2020.

The following commitments on patient access are there to help activating our access-to-medicine strategy.

1. Bayer aims to prepare a holistic patient access plan for all pipeline assets no later than in phase II. The patient access plan will consider the global health perspective, assess the burden of disease in LMICs and identify local access strategies.
2. Bayer is committed to making our developed drug products available in all countries where we conduct clinical studies.
3. Bayer believes clinical study participants, who have experienced a clinical benefit, should be granted continued and cost-free access, to bridge the period until the drug is available on the market.^[1]
4. As part of the access planning, the time span of the launch of a new drug globally and the first filing for registration in a low-middle income country should not exceed 12 months.
5. Bayer does not file for or enforce patents in the low-income countries (LICs) for human pharmaceutical products or vector control products.¹,^[2] Moreover, Bayer joined the Patent Information Initiative for Medicines (Pat-INFORMED), which provides basic patent information about approved Bayer products and makes them publicly available.
6. Bayer has implemented multiple commitments promoting transparency beyond regulatory requirements.^[3] Related to patient access, Bayer has set up processes for providing factual summaries of clinical trial results in plain language in order to help inform patients about the clinical trials in which they participate. The lay-friendly summaries are understandable for the non-research audience and are published usually within 12 months after the end of the trial, or within 12 months of the termination date of the trial or of the development project. ^[4] We will continue on this path, striving to advance transparency in the future.
7. In our engagement for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) we focus on eliminating African sleeping sickness (HAT) and taeniasis, as well as controlling Chagas disease in Latin America. In this context we remain committed to manufacturing and donating essential medicines as long as needed, in order to achieve the goals highlighted by the WHO roadmap 2030.^[5]
8. We are applying equitable pricing principles to ensure affordability in LMICs. For all newly launched brands, and nine of our legacy global brands, the national income level is considered in the pricing strategy.
9. By 2030, we are committed to help provide 100 million women in low- and middle-income countries with access to modern contraception. Following the increasing demand for long-acting, reversible contraceptives (LARCs) in LMICs, Bayer is committed to ensure supply chain security for its low cost / high quality product portfolio of implants and hormonal IUDs, provided to the UN and other family planning programs.^[6],^[7],^[8]
10. In order to support access to medicines beyond product delivery, Bayer engages in partnership programs, which are aimed at capacity building and health system strengthening in LMIC. Such partnerships follow the principals of local governance, impact generation, transparency and sustainability. We report regularly on the progress of our major partnerships. 

Bayer aims to provide transparent and in-depth insights into both its sustainability and access strategy, as well as its sustainability performance. The annual Bayer Sustainability Report supplements the nonfinancial statement pursuant to the CSR Directive Implementation Act (CSR-RUG), which is published in the combined management report of the Bayer Annual Report.

Additional key targets, goals, KPIs and achievements related to progress can be found in the following table: