Sustainability priorities
More than a decade ago, Syngenta was one of the first companies in the industry to launch a plan that served as our sustainability compass. Recently, Syngenta launched four global sustainability priorities, each with clear targets to drive positive change in agriculture and embed sustainability across all aspects of our business.
The four sustainability priorities we are committed to deliver on are:
By its very nature, any kind of agriculture will impact the environment.
While negative impacts are serious, and can include land use change, the degradation of soil, water, and air quality, agriculture can also positively impact the environment - for instance, by trapping greenhouse gases within crops and soils, or mitigating flood risks through the adoption of certain farming practices.
Across the world, the agriculture sector needs to boost crop productivity while at the same time bringing more sustainable solutions to the market that are effective and highly targeted, and have increased benefits for nature, farmers, and consumers.
Embedding a ‘safe by design’ concept across all stages of the Crop Protection product lifecycle, Syngenta aims to develop formulations and use patterns that minimise the potential for exposure, with extensive testing on all products to ensure they can be used safely.
From the discovery stage, we select product candidates that leave no or very low levels of residue, are biodegradable in soil, and have a profile that is not detrimental to human and environmental health.
Syngenta is also embracing digital technologies, including precision agriculture and remote monitoring, to foster more sustainable agriculture practices.
GLOBAL TARGETS:
- By 2030, train 18 million farm workers per year on safe and responsible use of products
- Connect 100 million hectares of farmland to our CROPWISE® digital platform by 2030
- Steer portfolio towards increased sustainability performance through implementation of Portfolio Sustainability Framework (PSF), starting in 2024 with the Syngenta Crop Protection business unit
By adopting regenerative agriculture practices such as cover crops, no-till techniques and precision application of chemical and biological inputs, farmers can help to mitigate the impact of climate change on their land.
Syngenta aims to support farmers in addressing soil degradation and on-farm emissions, while increasing yields on existing land. We invest in research to understand how beneficial practices can be applied efficiently in local settings. Syngenta also develops various on-farm products that maximise soil health, yields, and carbon capture.
Soil health also plays a big role in protecting and enhancing biodiversity, as each unique context and ecosystem require a different set of farming approaches to sustainably improve yields while protecting biodiversity.
Syngenta has committed resources to further develop the data-based understanding of biodiversity in different types of habitats and soils.
GLOBAL TARGETS:
- Enable the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices across 50 million hectares by 2030
- 85% of seed production through regenerative agriculture practices by 2030
Smallholder farmers form a large part of the rural population, but often lack the knowledge and quality inputs needed to produce a healthy harvest.
By empowering smallholders to sustainably protect their crops from pests, diseases and weather extremes, Syngenta can help smallholders make their farming more productive, profitable and sustainable.
Syngenta offers digital solutions to support smallholders, such as an app that widens access to smart farming features for farmers producing staple cash crops such as cotton, rice, corn, and wheat in Asia-Pacific.
Farmer service centres, such as CENTRIGO™ in APAC play a crucial role in supporting smallholder farmers by providing access to training, inputs, finance, and markets.
The CENTRIGO™ Farming Ecosystem operates in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, Thailand and India. We are exploring similar models in other regions.
As part of Syngenta’s commitment to strive for fair labour conditions, we want to ensure that all aspects of farm work are safe.
GLOBAL TARGETS:
- Expand farmer service centres to 1000 by 2028 and increase the income of served farmers vs. non-served farmers by 8%
- Through the launch of innovative new programs for vegetable farmers, increase profit by 10% for participating smallholder customers by 2030
- Fair labour program implemented in all seed production and processing countries by 2025
As a global leader in agriculture technology and innovation, Syngenta is striving to reduce its impact on the environment.
We aim to reduce our Scope 1 (own operations) and Scope 2 (energy purchases) by 38% by 2030 versus a 2022 baseline.
Syngenta is exploring options for renewable electricity sourcing, energy conservation and decarbonisation, and reducing energy consumption, water and waste intensity across our production sites.
Our supply chain accounts for much of Syngenta’s carbon footprint, so we are working with suppliers to make our manufacturing processes more efficient and identify opportunities for decarbonisation.
Maintaining our high health and safety standards is a top priority across our global manufacturing sites and it is essential that every employee understands their individual responsibilities and maintains awareness around safety.
In addition, Syngenta aims to build a more inclusive business culture by ensuring equity of treatment, targeting equal pay for equal work.
We aim to accelerate implementation of consistent equal pay practices to keep narrowing the pay gap on a yearly basis, until pay parity is achieved.
GLOBAL TARGETS:
- Reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 38% by 2030 vs. 2022
- Set Scope 3 emissions target, starting with Syngenta Crop Protection and Syngenta Seeds by 2025
- Zero incidents target in our operations – interim target is for the Injury and Illness Rate to be below 0.25 by 2025 across all four business units
Turning priorities into action
Turning these priorities into action will require us to draw from three strong levers as we embark on this next phase of our sustainability journey.
Leveraging the power of innovation
Innovation will be central to advancing sustainable agriculture and achieving our sustainability priorities.
Syngenta innovation capabilities have been built on the back of research and development: some 2,500 employees work in R&D, in more than 108 R&D hubs worldwide.
We will continue the investment of over $800m per year spent on Crop Protection R&D for breakthrough sustainable and regenerative innovation.
Working in partnership with others
To address future challenges, collaboration with all stakeholders is required, including farmers, supply and food value chains, academia, and local communities.
Syngenta globally has over 300 sustainability projects and partnerships around the world that demonstrate this commitment.
Establishing a strong tool to steer our portfolio towards increased sustainability
As an integral part of putting sustainability at the core of the business strategy, Syngenta has developed a Portfolio Sustainability Framework (PSF) to provide increased transparency to external stakeholders on the ongoing sustainability profile of the company portfolio and, once fully embedded, to facilitate internal decision-making.
The PSF is being implemented in 2024, with an initial model and baseline measurement applying to the Crop Protection business unit.
Adaptation and implementation across other business units is planned in the foreseeable future.