Syngenta Sustainable Business Report

Syngenta Sustainable Business Report

Accelerating innovation
in a changing world
i Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019

Contents
2019 in numbers
1
$13.6bn
Overview
2019 in numbers i
Highlights of 2019 1
Chief Executive Officer’s statement 2

2 Our business model

Creating value now
Global Sales

and for the long term 4

3 Our offer

$10.6bn
Accelerating innovation
in a changing world 6
Crop Protection 10
Seeds 16 Crop Protection sales1

4
$ 3.1bn
The Good Growth Plan
Delivering our commitments
and looking to the future 20
Make crops more efficient 24 Seeds sales2
Rescue more farmland 25
Help biodiversity flourish 26

$1.3bn
Empower smallholders 27
Help people stay safe 29 Investment in Research
Look after every worker 30 and Development3
Syngenta Foundation for
Sustainable Agriculture 32

5 Our operations
Putting sustainability first
Overview
0.34 Recordable injury
and illness rate4

Enhancing
across all our operations 34

99.0%
People 35
Suppliers included in
Sustainable operations 37
sustainability and fair
Business integrity 40 labor programs

6 Our leadership
Board of Directors 42
sustainability 8.6m People trained

across our
Executive Team 44 on safe use5

7 Non-financial performance

business
Non-financial information 46 1 Including sales to Seeds
Non-financial performance summary 48 2 Including Flowers
3 Before capitalized development
Independent Assurance Report 52 4 Per 200,000 hours, according to US OSHA definition
5 Includes smallholders reached through training reported under “Empower smallholders”
1. Overview Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019 1

Highlights of 2019 Collaborating The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and Syngenta are working together
on business practices aimed at improving soil health, resource
for sustainable efficiency and habitat protection in major agricultural regions
worldwide. This multi-year collaboration focuses on incorporating
agriculture sustainability science into Syngenta’s decision-making process
and engaging with farmers in new ways.

Joining forces for

more stewardship
Agricultural industry leaders joined forces to further
Accelerating improve the way crop protection products are handled in
Europe by promoting the use of closed transfer system
innovation in a (CTS) technology. The companies are now each piloting
the CTS “easyconnect” in selected countries to benefit
changing world
50%
By 2030, we’ll operators, farmers and the environment.
cut our carbon
footprint by Responding to

150
Syngenta is accelerating its innovation
to address the increasing challenges faced
by farmers around the world and the changing
views of society. This commitment is the
company’s response to more than
Recultivating
150 listening sessions worldwide,
engaging a broad cross Syngenta commits $2 billion listening sessions degraded
section of views. over the next five years to help
farmers tackle the increasing
land in Brazil
threats posed by climate change, Together with TNC and other
and to reduce the carbon intensity partners, we are developing
of its entire operations by at least a scalable business offer to

Protecting
50% by 2030. recultivate around 1 million
hectares of degraded

$2bn farmers’ pastureland in the Cerrado.

Introducing Farmers in the program will

a novel seed livelihood be able to increase the value

of their land, reverse soil
Commitment treatment In Africa and Asia, Syngenta degradation and increase
farm productivity.
over five years is working with teams on the
Syngenta introduced VAYANTIS®, ground to respond quickly
a new fungicide seed treatment to the spreading infestation
mode of action to control diseases of the difficult-to-control
such as Pythium and Phytophthora and highly-destructive Fall
for crops with better germination, Armyworm, by providing
stronger stand establishment advice and integrated pest
and higher yields. It also enables management solutions,
reduced- and no-tillage cropping including FORTENZA® Duo,
systems to protect the soil. BT traits and biologicals.
2 Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019

Chief Executive Officer’s statement Farmers around the world continued to face
the increasing challenges of climate change
In the face of these challenges, I see
Syngenta’s role as two-fold. Firstly, we
including extreme weather conditions in 2019. must do all we can to help farmers deal
Historic floods in the US meant that only 68 with the impacts of extreme climates today.

A year of
percent of corn and 46 percent of soybean Secondly, we must find solutions to help
crops were in the ground by mid-June. reduce agriculture’s and the food value chain’s
Droughts in countries including Australia contribution to greenhouse gas emissions.
made it increasingly difficult for farmers to

climate extremes achieve even a modest yield with many having To this end, I was proud to announce in
no viable crop at all. And according to the October, together with Sally Jewell, CEO of
World Meteorological Office, the average The Nature Conservancy, that Syngenta will
temperatures for the ten-year period 2010– dedicate $2 billion over five years towards
2019 are almost certain to be the highest innovation specifically targeted at delivering
on record. These warmer temperatures also a step change in agricultural sustainability.
aided the spread of pests such as the highly We also committed to deliver two
destructive fall armyworm. technological breakthroughs to market each
year, and to reduce the carbon intensity of our
As farmers around the world continue to face the increasing Helping farmers, fighting climate change operations by 50 percent, in support of the
challenges of climate change, we must do all we can to help As I speak with farmers and representatives Paris Agreement on climate change.
them deal with the impacts of extreme climates today, as well of the food value chain around the world, it is These commitments are the first tangible
as find solutions to help reduce agriculture’s and the food clear that agriculture is now at the front line of results of our “Innovation for Nature”
global efforts to tackle climate change.
value chain’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. collaboration with The Nature Conservancy,

With Sally Jewel

discussing
collaborating for
more sustainable
agriculture at
the Bloomberg
Sustainable
Business Summit

Visiting a
strawberry grower
who is one of our
MAP customers
in China
1. Overview Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019 3

which we announced early in 2019. This truly Commitment to innovation in corn, soybeans, canola, oilseed rape I would like to thank all our teams around the
global collaboration promotes soil health, Helping farmers to grow healthy and and cereal crops. VAYANTIS® also protects world, their implementation partners and the
resource efficiency and habitat protection in affordable food while taking care of the planet the soil by enabling reduced- and no-till many farmers who have helped deliver these
major agricultural regions worldwide. remains our focus and we introduced a cropping systems. And we opened the first excellent results. Only by working together can
number of new crop protection innovations ever Syngenta Innovation and Learning we deliver such great progress. But this is not
Business performance in Center at Eluru, India, which includes a the end of The Good Growth Plan – we have
challenging conditions in 2019. New fungicides included MIRAVIS™
Ace in the US, which requires fewer sprays to Seedcare Institute. been working over the last year to develop
In 2019, Syngenta teams around the world control Fusarium head blight; and MIRAVIS™ the next phase of the Plan to be launched
responded to the impacts of extreme There were a number of Seeds highlights in in 2020.
Triple Pack in Argentina where cereal growers 2019 including the European Commission
weather conditions by quickly adjusting our now have the leading solutions to control rusts
offerings to the immediate needs of farmers. approval of our AGRISURE DURACADE™ Looking to the future
and leaf spots. Our new herbicide, TAVIUM® corn trait for import as food or feed.
Total sales of $13.6 billion were 4 percent Plus VaporGrip® Technology, launched in the Early in 2020, we announced the formation
higher at constant exchange rates (CER) Our innovative ENOGEN® feed corn for beef of the new Syngenta Group. This is an
US and Canada for use in soybeans and and dairy cattle now delivers feed efficiency
than in 2018. Crop Protection finished the cotton, offers farmers an additional tool to exciting time for our company and will further
year at $10.6 billion, up 5 percent CER with gains of around 5 percent meaning less feed strengthen our ability to provide millions of
manage herbicide resistance. needs to be grown for the same outcome.
a strong performance in Brazil more than farmers around the world with innovation for
compensating for a challenging US market. Seed treatment introductions in the US We also introduced E-LUMINATE®, a new more sustainable agriculture.
Seeds sales of $3.1 billion were 1 percent included SALTRO® fungicide with its first digital offering that enables our seed advisors
lower (CER) than 2018, with the impact of global registration – providing reliable control to quickly assess field characteristics and The fundamental drivers of our business
flooding in the US offset by strong growth in of blackleg in canola, bakanae in rice and make recommendations on a field-by- remain: the world’s population continues to
Asia Pacific. sudden death syndrome in soybeans – and field basis. rise, people need nutritious and affordable
VAYANTIS® fungicide for control of diseases food, and the demand for evermore
In 2019, we also expanded our farm sustainable practices to help combat climate
management system offering with the change is increasing. We are well placed
acquisition of Cropio™ making us the only to help farmers and the world meet these
agricultural company with access to leading demands now and in the future.
farm management platforms in the top four
agriculture markets: the US with AgriEdge®,
Brazil with Strider®, China with MAP (Modern
Agricultural Platform) and now Eastern
Europe with Cropio™.

The Good Growth Plan: a great result

J. Erik Fyrwald
We reached a milestone this year with our
Chief Executive Officer
Good Growth Plan. Launched in 2013, it
set measurable stretch targets to be met
by 2020. I am delighted to report that we
have achieved nearly all of our targets a year
ahead of schedule. We have also exceeded a
number of our targets, including bringing more
than 14 million hectares of farmland back
from the brink of degradation and enhancing
biodiversity on more than 8 million hectares
of farmland. I am particularly pleased that we
have now trained over 42 million people in
At the opening safe use – more than doubling our target.
ceremony of
Syngenta’s Seedcare
Institute in India
4 Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019

Syngenta plays a vital role in enabling the food chain to feed

the world safely and take care of our planet. Our ambition is
to be the most collaborative and trusted team in agriculture,
providing leading seeds and crop protection innovations to
enhance the prosperity of farmers, wherever they are.

Our strategy is to grow through customer- This marks a step change in agricultural
focused innovation – not just in product sustainability and, together with our Good
research and development, but in every Growth Plan commitments, puts sustainability
aspect of our business model. We seek new center stage in the way we do business
and more efficient ways to use resources, and helps deliver the UN Sustainable
to develop and deliver better products and Development Goals.
services to farmers, and to create value for
our many stakeholders – including employees, If we succeed, we will achieve not only growth
the communities where they live and society for our business but also growth for all –
at large. creating value that benefits our employees,
customers, communities and food chain
All this innovation has one focus: a passion partners. Our success will be measured
for our customers, the farmers who grow through the benefits we bring to agriculture
the world’s food. To make our business work, and the environment. But in a sector as
we have to understand their needs and deliver challenging as agriculture, success is not a
products and services that provide value given. It will require determined execution.
beyond yield. And to make our business We constantly look to collaborate with many
sustainable, we have to take the long view: partners to achieve better outcomes and to
ensuring that what we do today strengthens earn trust by delivering on our commitments.
Syngenta and the food chain for tomorrow –
economically, environmentally and socially. That trust depends not just on what we do:
the “how” matters, too. So, transparency,
Our business model That’s why we are accelerating our innovation ethics, safety and compliance are core to
to address the increasing challenges faced by the way we work. In operating our business
farmers around the world including changing model, we’re determined to live by the

Creating
climates and societal preferences. values we have set ourselves – which are
emboldened in the paragraphs above.
See “Accelerating innovation

value now
in a changing world” on pages 6-9

and for the

long term
2. Our business model Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019 5

1 2 3 4
Resources What we do What The value
we use we create we provide

Research Products, services Sustainable agriculture innovation

Financial capital and development Production and solutions for small- to large-scale farms
People and the intellectual Crop protection discovery Production of active ingredients Crop protection
property they create and innovation and intermediate chemicals Reliable availability and affordability
Herbicides
of safe, nutritious food and feed
Chemical, biological, genetic Advanced seed breeding Formulation, fill and pack Insecticides
and computational sciences Addressing insect, disease, weed Production of seeds Fungicides Efficient, effective fiber and fuel
Natural resources and environmental stress on crops Production of flowers Seed treatment
Facilities and services Tools for grower empowerment
Biologicals
Local communities and stronger food systems
Who we work with Who we work with Crop enhancement
Laws and regulations
Research institutions and universities Suppliers Sustainable production
Farmers and suppliers Toll manufacturers Seeds and supply practices
Agricultural extension services Seeds
Economic value shared with employees,
NGOs Traits
suppliers, governments and communities

Commercial Supporting activities Grower programs Rural development and collective

Product management Product registration and stewardship well-being of communities
Marketing and sales Health, safety and environment Digital agriculture
management Development of our people
Distribution and partners along the value chain
Employee engagement
Business integrity and Promotion of decent work
Who we work with upholding human rights and good governance
Growers Multi-stakeholder dialogue
Distributors Stimulating research,
Demonstration farms sharing data and knowledge
Who we work with
Processors and the food value chain
Industry associations
Agronomists
Government and regulatory authorities
Agricultural extension services
NGOs and IGOs
Technology providers
Communities
6 Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019

Our offer

Accelerating innovation
in a changing world
Today, farmers need to manage climate change, soil erosion
and biodiversity loss, as well as changing consumer expectations
and views on agricultural technology. There is an urgent need
for innovation and more action to address these challenges so that
everybody wins – from growers to consumers and the environment.
3. Our offer Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019 7

Over the last six years, we have made We used feedback from the listening sessions The driving factors
a significant contribution to sustainable to define the three focus areas: innovation The key message that emerged from our
agriculture – and learned a great deal – guided by society and nature; striving for listening sessions is that the sustainable
through our Good Growth Plan. In late lowest residues in crops and the environment; agriculture debate has moved from food
2018, we further stepped up these efforts and investing where it matters to farmers security and yield alone to factors such as loss
by holding over 150 listening sessions and nature. of biodiversity; people’s changing expectations
around the world with stakeholders who around the food they eat; and, importantly,
have influence in the food and agriculture We also announced a global collaboration
with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) – climate change. We need to move with
value chain. Their combined feedback has people’s changing priorities to stay relevant –
given us a much better understanding of a conservation organization dedicated
to conserving the lands and waters on which and be part of the solution.
what society expects from Syngenta and
our industry, as well as what sustainable all life depends. Our multi-year collaboration – After all, our role as a global agricultural
agriculture really means to different groups. Innovation for Nature – focuses on promoting business places a responsibility on our
One thing is clear: there is an undeniable soil health, resource efficiency and habitat shoulders – especially towards farmers
demand for change from all our stakeholders. protection in major agricultural regions and the communities in which they operate.
worldwide. We have also committed to invest Agriculture worldwide currently contributes
In April 2019, we responded by announcing in solutions that reverse soil erosion and 12 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions.
that we will accelerate our innovation biodiversity decline, help farmers become And farmers are already feeling the effects of
to address the increasing challenges resilient to changing climates, and adapt global warming first-hand, making their jobs
faced by farmers around the world and to changing consumer requirements such ever more challenging. This places farmers
society’s changing views on agricultural as cutting carbon emissions. front and center of the climate debate and
technology, marking a step change firmly in the public spotlight.
in agricultural sustainability.
As the environmental challenges
facing our planet intensify, society
expects companies to invest
their resources where they matter
most. To move forward together
constructively, we must rebuild
trust between science and society.
If we get it right, our industry can
be a net-positive player in the global
climate challenge.
Alexandra Brand
Chief Sustainability Officer
8 Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019

Investing $2 billion in sustainable we collaborated with TNC to develop an mitigate its effect on the food supply and Priority practices for investment include:
agriculture innovations investment model that directs resources to provide farmers with the tools they need to
products, services, programs, partnerships manage their land within planetary boundaries. UU Integrated pest management
Our first target announced under Accelerating
Innovation is to invest $2 billion over five and capital expenditures that offer a clearly UU Nutrient management
differentiated sustainability benefit or are These investments will be distinct from those
years in innovations specifically aimed at we make as part of good practice and will
advancing sustainable agriculture. We will use breakthrough technologies enabling a step UU Continuous living cover systems
change in sustainability. – wherever possible – benefit large-scale
this investment to deliver two technological and smallholder farmers alike and contribute UU Reduced tillage
breakthroughs to market per year. Ensuring our investment delivers to meeting the United Nations Sustainable
UU Multi-functional field margins
By sustainable agriculture, we mean Only investments that contribute to Development Goals. The investment model
agriculture that directly benefits farmers, breakthrough outcomes will count towards is backed by a five-step assessment UU Water-use efficiency and effectiveness
society and nature today and in the future. our target of $2 billion. We define a process and those that pass the assessment
This makes good sense for both the technological breakthrough as innovations we stage are linked to specific practices and UU Integrated crop-livestock systems.
environment and our business. To ensure bring to market that are designed to reduce measurable outcomes.
this investment delivers these benefits, agriculture’s contribution to climate change,

Sustainability investment criteria: Five-step assessment process

Determine alignment with priorities

UU Practices and outcomes-based investments
deliver measurable benefit above and beyond
Define the opportunity business as usual, towards implementing or
achieving significant sustainability outcomes.
Investments associated with research Assess net benefit
and development products, mergers UU Operational investments deliver measurable AlI investments must
and acquisitions, partnerships, capital progress towards meeting Syngenta’s ambitious demonstrate that they offer a
expenditures or programs can be waste-generation, water-use, health-and-safety significant net benefit compared
evaluated using this process. and greenhouse-gas targets. with the current alternative.

1 2 3 4 5

Choose assessment path Define alternative (comparable)

Investments may contribute to the target via two paths: Is there already a comparable
UU Practice or outcomes-based investments contribute product or program on the market?
to or facilitate the adoption of the sustainability Investments that are not unique must
priorities in Step 3. be compared to existing products
or programs in Step 5.
UU Operations-based investments help us produce
sustainable products to reduce the net
environmental footprint.
3. Our offer Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019 9

Reducing our carbon intensity Putting our commitment into action Moving ahead together
by at least 50% We are already collaborating with various We will continue our transparent approach
Our second target announced under partners on a wide range of projects that align to reporting as seen in our Good Growth Plan.
Accelerating Innovation is to reduce our own directly with Accelerating Innovation’s vision From 2020, we will report on the progress and
carbon footprint. In accordance with the and objectives. outcomes against these targets. As we have
The Nature Conservancy’s
global community’s climate targets signed already achieved most of the commitments collaboration with Syngenta is
In Brazil, for example, we are working with
at the Paris Agreement, we have committed under the first phase of our Good Growth driven by a shared understanding
to reduce the carbon intensity of our entire TNC and other partners on the long-term Plan, we are also working on its next evolution,
Reverte program to reverse the degradation that agricultural systems have
operations by at least 50 percent by 2030. incorporating and building on our learnings
Our commitment and the progress towards of around 1 million hectares of pastureland to date. the potential to address urgent
it are validated and endorsed by the Science in the Cerrado by 2025. This involves sustainability priorities. In order
implementing new, sustainable rotations We understand that we cannot achieve a
Based Targets initiative. We will achieve our
on degraded pastures that involve farming step change in sustainable agriculture alone.
to achieve our conservation
targets by undertaking a range of activities
both within the business and in partnership cattle, soybean and corn in integrated Partnership and collaboration will be critical to goals, we need innovation and
with our suppliers. crop-livestock systems. We are encouraging the program’s long-term success. With this in investment to deploy a host of new
farmers to participate in a scalable business mind, we will continue to listen and respond solutions. Syngenta’s commitments
Internally, our efforts to reduce carbon intensity offer that will help to increase the value of to key stakeholders, including the public,
in our operations will remain focused on our their land, improve productivity and reverse governments and policy makers, and partner to innovate for nature are
six manufacturing sites, which account for soil degradation. with farmers, food companies, academia encouraging and groundbreaking.
most of our direct energy use.
In the Netherlands, we are working to replace
and NGOs. While our collaboration may be
Externally, we will partner with our suppliers around 40 percent of gas we currently We are confident that, together, we will unconventional, it is necessary
on a range of initiatives that include use to heat greenhouses in De Lier with accelerate the delivery of innovations that have for us to work together to develop
embedding sustainability criteria in supplier geothermal energy which is estimated a positive, lasting impact on farming, the food practical solutions.
dashboards and in the strategy of our top to reduce the carbon footprint of the site value chain and nature. That’s good for our
suppliers; closely monitoring performance; by around 20 percent. We will procure hot business – and good for our planet. Michael Doane
communicating internally and externally with water from a geothermal well that is being set Global Managing Director for
procurement teams and key suppliers so that up by the Trias Westland Geothermal Project, Sustainable Food and Water
they understand our requirements and targets. a collaboration with Dutch Energy and local The Nature Conservancy
infrastructure suppliers.
10 Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019

Crop Protection
As well as protecting plants from insects
and diseases, we provide crop enhancement
products that help them tolerate environmental
stresses such as heat, cold and drought.
We also offer products that increase root
Syngenta is a world market leader in crop protection products, mass, boosting crops’ nutrient and water
with broad coverage of an extremely diverse market. We uptake and increasing yields – improving
develop and produce herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, sustainability by using inputs more efficiently.

seed treatments and biocontrols that promote strong and While our principal customers are farmers and
healthy plant growth. We complement our offer with digital channel partners, our Syngenta Professional
Solutions business adapts our agricultural
management and agronomic solutions. technologies to serve professionals in turfgrass
management, tree and landscape care,
residential and commercial pest management,
disease vector control, commercial flower
production, and home garden care.

Meeting farmers’ needs, now and

in the future
Farmers today operate in a challenging
environment – addressing the needs and
expectations of food processors and retailers,
consumers, society and our planet, as well
as dealing with increasingly volatile climatic
conditions. As these needs and expectations
become more complex, so do the challenges
for farmers. Whether they are smallholders
or a large farming business, farmers need to
reconcile the imperatives of running a business
with their societal responsibilities as stewards
of the land.

At Syngenta, we apply science and

technology to help them meet those complex
needs consistently, safely and sustainably.
Our products enable farmers to deliver food
that is abundant, nutritious and affordable –
without using more land or other inputs.
3. Our offer Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019 11

We recognize our responsibility to develop Expanding the farmers’ toolbox: Disease control With the first launch of ELATUS™ Ace and
products that are safe and sustainable, and innovations in 2019 In 2019, use of products based on our broad- the innovative MIRAVIS™ Triple Pack, cereal
to steward them carefully. Some 30 percent We focus our innovation on helping farmers spectrum fungicide ADEPIDYN™ continued growers in Argentina now have the leading
of our investment in developing each new deal with the impacts of climate change, to spread as we brought new ADEPIDYN™ new solutions to control rusts and leaf spots.
active ingredient is spent on product safety. including unpredictable weather patterns based solutions to market. MIRAVIS™ Triple Pack combines ELATUS™ Ace
And we also invest substantially in training and increasing pest pressure, and strive to with ADEPIDYN™ fungicide. This technology
farm workers to use our products safely, provide farmers with the most comprehensive In the US, we introduced a new product to brings benefits such as a greater greening
with some 42.4 million trained since 2013. and flexible toolbox. This means designing control Fusarium head blight in cereals with effect, exceptional control of rust, and a
“blockbuster” molecules, along with targeted the launch of MIRAVIS™ Ace, containing our superior control of yellow spot and Septoria
In 2019, we announced that we will accelerate active ingredients that meet specific needs ADEPIDYN™ fungicide. MIRAVIS™ Ace delivers in wheat. MIRAVIS™ Triple Pack delivers up to
our innovation to address the increasing for a range of crops and locations. In 2019, important benefits to the environment as there 400 kg yield increase per hectare compared
challenges faced by farmers around the world we filed a total of 118 patent applications is a reduction in the number of sprays required to commercial standards. Additionally, this
and society’s changing views. Syngenta is at (2018: 110) for crop protection innovations. to manage disease, which results in fewer solution shows a longer lasting and higher
the forefront of delivering innovations that help We have a strong innovation pipeline across tractor passes over the field and reduces soil level of control against foliar diseases in barley.
farmers adapt to changing growing conditions, all our crop protection product lines. Here are compaction. It also has a wider application
including reducing carbon emissions and some key examples from 2019. window giving more flexibility to growers.
sequestering carbon in the soil.

Products containing ADEPIDYN™ fungicide control diseases with fewer sprays, which also When wheat is infected with Septoria, up to 40% of yield can be lost
reduces soil compaction from tractors
12 Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019

Weed control We launched the co-pack in China in early Seed treatment The disease is particularly difficult for growers
In weed control, the rapid spread of herbicide 2019, targeting those areas where resistance The Syngenta Seedcare team continued to manage as it only appears late in the
resistance has required the development of to commonly used herbicide chemistry has to play a frontline role in international efforts season once the crop is close to harvest,
new management options. We were proud become a significant problem. to combat the devastating fall armyworm. putting the whole harvest at risk.
to launch a new herbicide TAVIUM® Plus Insect control Our FORTENZA® Duo seed treatment provides VAYANTIS® was also a key launch for
VaporGrip®1 Technology in the US and Canada effective control against the pest. We are Syngenta Seedcare in 2019. This new
for use in soybeans and cotton. TAVIUM® In 2019, Syngenta introduced a new also working with local authorities in affected
insecticide, Spiropidion, for use in arable fungicide seed treatment provides outstanding
Plus VaporGrip®1 Technology is a premix countries to ensure solutions to control control of diseases such as Pythium and
that controls key broadleaf and grass weeds crops such as soybean as well as fruits and fall armyworm are accessible to growers,
vegetables. Spiropidion is safe to beneficial Phytophthora in corn, soybeans, canola,
in Roundup Ready 2 Xtend®1 Soybeans transferring knowledge from our experts in oilseed rape and cereal crops. It provides
and Bollgard II®1 XtendFlex®1 Cotton. insects and pollinators, and can be applied LATAM, where the pest first emerged, to our
even when crops are flowering. It protects the better germination, stronger stand
technical teams in Africa and Asia. SALTRO® establishment and higher yields, and protects
In-licensing allows us to offer an even broader whole plant, including new roots and shoots, received its first global registration in the US
portfolio to our customers. We obtained and has shown excellent results against hard the soil by enabling reduced- and no-tillage
in 2019. Based on our ADEPIDYN™ fungicide, cropping systems.
exclusive rights from Corteva to develop a new to control pests like aphids and whiteflies. the seed treatment provides robust, reliable
herbicide for early control of weeds as they First launches are scheduled for Paraguay control against blackleg in canola, bakanae
emerge in rice by combining Florpyrauxifen- and Bolivia in 2021, Brazil in 2022, with other in rice and sudden death syndrome (SDS) in
benzyl and Syngenta Pretilachlor herbicides. countries to follow in the future. With a strong soybeans. SDS is one of the most damaging
This solution gives growers a new tool to pipeline, we expect to launch a number of and distressing diseases and can cause yield
manage resistance issues, providing foliar new insecticides over the next five years. reductions of up to 50 percent.
contact and residual weed control capabilities
with two distinct modes of action.

1 Registered trademarks of Bayer Group

Our new Spiropidion insecticide, which is safe to beneficial insects, can be safely applied Fall armyworm, seen here in corn, causes devastating crop damage
even during flowering
3. Our offer Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019 13

Syngenta Professional Solutions Advanced innovation capability of how these effects can be addressed is the years, to reduce agriculture’s contribution
For the second year, the Syngenta With a portfolio of some 200 active development of a novel synthetic compound to climate change, harness its mitigation
Professional Solutions business supported ingredients, we regularly revisit our portfolio with biostimulant properties that is designed capacity, and help the food system stay
a highly successful malaria education course to ensure we are providing the best solutions to mitigate abiotic stresses including cold, within planetary boundaries.
in Bagomoyo, Tanzania, organized by the to farmers. drought and heat stress. These variable
climatic conditions are emerging as the largest For many years, we have been
Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute in complementing our chemistry portfolio with
collaboration with the Ifakara Health Institute. Our work on developing new chemistries unmet grower need, causing crop losses
is gaining unprecedented precision. estimated at $200 billion annually. biocontrol products to add modes of action
The four-week course is designed to help that enhance resistance management.
malaria endemic countries build capacity Scientific insights generated in the field and
throughout our R&D cycle inform precise Bringing new technologies to farmers We also offer a range of biostimulant products
and knowledge in the prevention and control that protect plants in times of stress such
of malaria. Syngenta also continues to be product development. Increasingly, we can We are increasingly an agricultural technology
model and design molecules to address business, bringing together chemistry, biology, as drought. This year, we took the step to
part of the ongoing reduction in malaria establish a Biologicals business unit with
transmission across sub-Saharan Africa specific challenges facing farmers such as digital technologies, new monitoring and
resistance management or those associated application techniques, biologicals – and even the aim of expanding our portfolio and
through the use of its long-lasting indoor market reach in these rapidly expanding and
spray, ACTELLIC® 300CS. with the effects of climate change. An example new breeding technologies – to create novel
solutions. We have committed to delivering increasingly important areas of technology.
at least two technological breakthroughs We also launched a range of pheromone
to market each year over the next five products combined with holistic crop
management services to grape growers
See “Accelerating innovation in Chile. Pheromones are natural signaling
in a changing world” on pages 6-9
compounds that cause specific interactions
within certain insect species. We are
collaborating with key partners to extend our
pheromone offer and complementary crop
pest management services to other crops
and geographies.

Our training helps build capacity and knowledge in malaria endemic countries We’re expanding our biologicals portfolio, and this year launched a range of pheromones
to manage insects in grapes
14 Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019

Digital technology is giving us new ways We formed a partnership with Sony that
to develop digital solutions to help farmers means we can now offer its Smart Agricultural
and their advisors to significantly increase Solution to select retailers and agronomists
their productivity, efficiency and profitability, through FarmShots™. The offering uses a
while farming more sustainably. drone-mounted camera to generate whole-
field maps, allowing growers to detect crop
In 2019, we expanded our farm management damage even without an internet connection.
system offering with the acquisition
of Cropio™ – a digital platform offering We are also looking at new digital ways to
operational management solutions for reinforce the efficiency, integrity and security
farmers, incorporating imaging, record- of our distribution and supply chain. We are
keeping, and equipment tracking functions. piloting an ambitious track and trace program
Syngenta is now the only agricultural company that will implement a global, standardized
to have access to leading farm management approach to digitizing product identification.
platforms in the top four agriculture markets: This will help us to meet future compliance
the US with AgriEdge®, Brazil with Strider®, obligations and combat counterfeiting.
China with MAP (Modern Agricultural Platform)
and now Eastern Europe with Cropio™. Precision agriculture allows farmers to use
crop protection with unprecedented efficiency
We are currently developing a new agronomic and economy. Advances in sensor technology,
digital platform, FieldCompass™, that will equip satellite and drone imaging, as well as data
farmers to evaluate the short- and long-term science provide increasingly sophisticated We now offer farm management systems across the US, Brazil, China and Eastern Europe,
impact of weed control decisions on a field information to help growers manage their helping farmers optimize their crop management

by field basis. FieldCompass™ will integrate crops sustainably. Our R&D teams collaborate
data from several agricultural practices such with external partners to evaluate emerging
as tillage practices, crop rotation, herbicide technologies and develop products that bring
programs and cover crop usage. greater value to customers.

The application of crop protection products by

drone has grown significantly in some markets
such as China. We are working with partners
to develop effective solutions with protocols
and applications tailored to different crops
and geographies.

Drone use for spraying continues to spread, particularly in China, and we are tailoring
application advice by crop and geography
3. Our offer Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019 15

Investing in sustainable agriculture are handled in Europe by promoting the use In Brazil, we brought the best innovation manufacturing capabilities with the purchase
Syngenta Ventures has a diverse, global of closed transfer system (CTS) technology. and technology closer to farmers when we of a Novartis manufacturing plant near Basel.
portfolio of more than 25 companies across The companies are now each piloting the CTS opened our first Syngenta own-store – Atua This multi-purpose plant will support the
the agriculture technology landscape, “easyconnect” in selected countries to benefit Agro. Located in Ijuí, the store stocks the full early launch phase of new active ingredients
including biologicals, digital, precision operators, farmers and the environment. range of Syngenta products and is staffed by coming through the R&D pipeline. We expect
application and seed technologies. specialists who have the first-hand knowledge to complete the ownership transfer towards
The easyconnect system comprises a unique to advise farmers on how to sustainably the end of 2020.
2019 saw new investments across the pre-fitted screw cap and a coupler, which
ag-tech investment landscape and regions. increase their production. In addition to
together allow crop protection products to be providing products, we want to establish a Our key crop protection production site
These investments are enabling partnerships directly transferred from their original container at Grangemouth in the UK celebrated its
and collaborations to help Syngenta access partnership with our customers to help drive
to the spray tank, reducing operator exposure the entire agricultural sector forward towards centenary during 2019. The site employs
existing technologies or jointly develop new and environmental risks from splashing or over 350 staff in various areas, including
products and solutions. the future of sustainable agriculture.
spilling. Feedback from pilot farms has been manufacturing, engineering, scientific
Syngenta has joined forces with ADAMA, positive. By 2021/2022, a broad range We strategically invest in our facilities and production support. It has four plants
BASF, Corteva Agriscience, Nufarm to further of compatible containers will be offered to to support our ambitious innovation dedicated to manufacturing active ingredients,
improve the way crop protection products farmers in a number of European countries. program and ability to supply around the as well as a finished product formulation
world. In Switzerland, we will increase our and packaging plant.

Our first Syngenta-own store in Brazil offers farmers a range of products and advice on how We celebrated the centenary of our manufacturing site at Grangemouth, UK, this year
to increase production sustainably
16 Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019

Seeds
The global seed market was estimated at
around $46 billion in 2019, with 3 percent
forecast annual growth during the next five
years. Over half its value comes from corn
and soybean, and over 60 percent of sales
Syngenta is one of the world’s largest developers and are made in Brazil, China, Europe and North
producers of seed for farmers, commercial growers, America. Growth over the next few years
retailers and small seed companies. We offer a broad is expected to be driven by Brazil, China
and India.
portfolio of crops with particular strengths in corn,
soybean, sunflower, cereals and vegetables. Syngenta In 2019, the seeds market faced
unprecedented challenges on multiple fronts.
Flowers, one of the few global players, is a market These included trade issues, historically
leader in most key market segments. low commodity prices and the increasingly
extreme impacts of climate change, such
as floods in the US and severe droughts in
Australia. Farmers need support more than
ever to enable them to sustainably provide
sufficient, nutritious food – and they need
choice, high performing products, data
to make informed decisions, and deep
agronomic advice.

Delivering what farmers need

In response, we tailor our seeds offering
as precisely as possible to help farmers
use seeds more effectively in the face of
increasingly complex challenges. We develop
products and services that enable growers to
be more productive, to secure their livelihoods,
to manage risks and to grow crops more
sustainably. To do this, we strive to know
and understand not only growers but also
the customers they serve.
3. Our offer Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019 17

Seed selection is one of the biggest decisions We lead in developing and delivering Fall armyworm (FAW) is another devastating For beef and dairy farmers, our innovative
a farmer makes every year. Our sales teams innovations that equip farmers with pest. In 2016, it spread to Africa where it ENOGEN® feed corn delivers feed efficiency
and agronomists in the field provide the deep technologies to fight potentially devastating presents a permanent agricultural challenge gains of around 5 percent, as a result
specialist advice growers need, using digital insect threats. For example, corn rootworm in 43 countries and has the potential to of improved starch and organic matter
seed placement tools to enable data-driven (CRW) is estimated to cost US farmers more put food security and seed security at risk. digestibility. Along with improved farm
decisions. We also ensure our R&D teams than $1 billion annually in yield losses and Estimated yield losses in corn are between profitability, ENOGEN® feed corn has the
connect closely with farmers, and we bring control measures. AGRISURE DURACADE™ 20-50 percent. In 2018, FAW arrived in potential to contribute to sustainability in
customers to our research facilities around features a unique mode of action that controls Asia and is now found in most major grain animal production systems. Improved feed
the world to talk to our scientists and plant corn rootworm differently from other traits producing countries in the region. efficiency means less feed is needed to
breeders. We have a strong pipeline and on the market. It gives farmers a new trait achieve the same outcome with associated
rotational option for CRW management for Our AGRISURE VIPTERA® corn trait is now benefits in improved water use efficiency,
ongoing programs in plant breeding and
a healthier corn crop and higher yield potential. the only fully-functioning trait against FAW in reduced land, labor and energy involved in
biotech innovation to help farmers meet the
Brazil and is the best above-ground insect producing feed, and reduced emissions from
increasingly complex challenges they face
In 2019, the European Commission approved control in the North American corn industry. crop production operations.
while also addressing the needs of nature
our AGRISURE DURACADE™ corn trait for
and society. Our innovations go beyond
import as food or feed. In collaboration with universities, we are
seed technology to include supporting tools
conducting larger-scale feeding trials with the
and solutions.
aim of bridging the gap between small-scale
trials and farm-scale settings. We are also
testing ENOGEN® feed corn in swine and
poultry diets.

We continue to answer consumer demands

for a year-round supply of convenient, fresh,
healthy, high-quality vegetables. In 2019,
we launched the distinctive, purple-skinned
YOOM™ cocktail tomato. Developed through
a natural-selection breeding program, YOOM™
tomatoes not only have a unique umami flavor
but also perform well in terms of yield and
shelf life. The product immediately attracted
major interest from growing markets across
Europe, and we subsequently extended the
brand to North America and Australasia.

Dairy producer Wally Eachus (center) in New Jersey, US, discussing the benefits of Our new YOOM™ cocktail tomatoes help growers differentiate their offer for retailers,
®
ENOGEN feed corn with his son, Eric Eachus (left), and Brent Sutton (right), Syngenta and provide them with an attractive and tasty new vegetable for consumers
18 Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019

We are also developing vegetables that In 2019, we entered hybrid wheat candidates The technology uses GIS-based mapping for Acquisitions and strategic collaborations
help to reduce food loss and waste – an into official pre-commercial registration trials immediate assessment of soil characteristics to meet market needs
area of increasing concern as food loss and in France and in Denmark. and provides details specific to weed, Our ambition is to be the most collaborative
waste contribute significantly to the world’s disease and insect pressures to generate team in the industry. We continue to make
greenhouse gas emissions. Following field Unlocking the power of digital recommendations for seed that performs acquisitions and form strategic collaborations
trials in 2018, for example, we brought to Agriculture is arguably the last big industry consistently for each field condition. These  that enhance our portfolio and strengthen
market a true white cauliflower variety that to maximize the potential of digital technology. seed recommendations reflect actual our pipeline to give farmers the products,
produces 100 percent marketable heads Syngenta is investing in new digital tools performance comparisons across varieties, innovation, advice and services they need.
compared to around 65 percent in other and platforms to enable farmers to manage by year and region.
commercial cauliflower varieties. risk and maximize their investment. A good Germplasm diversity is fundamental to
example of this is E-LUMINATE®, an exclusive Digital tools can also help farmers when facing breeding stronger hybrids. Today, as a result
As consumers demand uniform vegetables, digital offering that draws upon extensive complex growing conditions, such as the of several collaborations, we have one of the
this variety helps to reduce food waste agronomic data to help farmers make extreme floods in the US this year. We issued broadest germplasm pools in the industry.
across the food supply chain – from grower more informed seed selection decisions. field guidance on how to use FarmShots™, This will enable us to bring growers stronger
to processor to retail and consumer – while E-LUMINATE® enables our seed advisors to an innovator in high-resolution satellite hybrids and offer more choice in existing
ensuring the sustainable use of resources quickly assess field characteristics and choose imagery we acquired in 2018, to look for bare and new markets.
such as land, water, fertilizer and labor. the best products and management practices ground as flood water recedes, identifying
on a field-by-field basis. replant zones and providing tools for spotting
Looking ahead, our ambition is to transform nitrogen deficiencies.
wheat production, delivering both more
efficient and environmentally sustainable
wheat through hybridization. Although wheat
is among the world’s most important food and
feed crops, it is the only major crop that has
never been successfully hybridized at scale.
Wheat yields are plateauing in many regions
in the world, and there is increasing chemical
resistance in pests, weeds and diseases.
With climate change and other factors putting
crop sustainability under increased pressure,
it has never been more vital to ensure
consistent crop productivity.

Our new true white cauliflower variety produces 100% marketable heads compared E-LUMINATE® enables seed advisors and agronomists to make recommendations
to a typical 60 to 65% yield from current commercial varieties, reducing waste on seed products and management practices on a field-by-field basis
3. Our offer Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019 19

We expanded our Flowers offering with the This highly-automated corn breeding facility Transformative technologies We are building pioneering capabilities in data
acquisition of Varinova’s cyclamen business, will help us speed up the flow of new elite corn for the future science. Plant breeding is increasingly design-
combining Varinova’s technical strengths and hybrids through our R&D pipeline. One of the most serious concerns facing driven: using quality data and advanced
innovative varieties with our global market humanity is how to safely and sustainably analytics through each stage of the R&D
access and world-class science that will allow In Enkhuizen, The Netherlands, we opened process, we can understand challenges
a new seed innovation center with the feed our growing population. To meet this
Syngenta Flowers to reinforce its position in challenge, we need to engage the best minds better, determine optimum solutions and
the cyclamen market. aim of accelerating sustainable vegetable create products to match those specifications.
breeding. The center – covering more than we can find, and collaboration is critical to
innovation. Across the company, Syngenta We can also use mathematical modeling to
Investing for growth two hectares with greenhouses, climate cells determine how products are likely to perform
and laboratories – makes it possible to double has over 400 collaborations with universities,
In the US, our biggest market, we opened a research institutes as well as private in specific environmental conditions and to
new Global and North America Seeds office in the speed at which we breed new vegetable identify the right seeds for specific fields.
varieties. The opening was part of a phased companies. Thanks to our Chinese ownership,
Downers Grove, Illinois in 2019. Located in the we also have the unique opportunity to partner
heart of the Corn Belt, the new facility brings investment program at the Enkhuizen site Genome editing is another exciting technology
that will equip us to accelerate the delivery with world-leading researchers at a number of where we have been active for over a decade.
us closer to corn and soybean customers in Chinese universities and institutes. In addition
the US, in a market that is demanding more of innovations in global markets for brassica, Genome editing is a more rapid and precise
spinach, peas and beans. to collaborations, we also operate an external process for achieving outcomes essentially
innovation and choice more quickly. open innovation model using crowd sourcing the same as those produced over time
To bring innovation faster to farmers, in 2019 platforms to attract external thinkers across by conventional breeding. Unlike genetically
we also opened our new $30 million Trait multiple disciplines. modified organisms, most forms of gene-
Conversion Accelerator at our Nampa R&D editing do not involve inserting foreign DNA.
and seed production facility in Idaho, US. We are applying this technology to accelerate
the rate of innovation in major crops including
corn, soybean and vegetables.

Seeds are fundamental to all life on our

planet. At Syngenta, we are working with
the latest technologies and partners from
many disciplines to bring farmers around the
world the seed products they need today
and tomorrow, to safely and sustainably feed
our growing population.

We offer flower growers a broad cyclamen portfolio for the latest consumer The new Trait Conversion Accelerator at Nampa, Idaho, US, will deliver
garden trends, with features including disease and weather tolerance new elite corn hybrids much faster than previously done in open field
or semi-controlled environments
20 Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019

The Good Growth Plan

Delivering our The Good Growth Plan is a core

element of our strategies for both our
Crop Protection and Seeds businesses

commitments and to ensure their success and long-term

viability. It defines six commitments in

looking to the future

areas where improvement is essential
to secure the future of agriculture and
our planet’s ecosystems.
4. The Good Growth Plan Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019 21

When we launched The Good Growth Plan In China, Eastern Europe and Latin America, In 2019, we also started training farmers
in 2013, we set hard, stretch targets to be we have seen that real positive change – in safe practices when using drones.
met by 2020. By 2019, we have already and scale – is possible when we close the
reached most of our goals – a year earlier gaps between factors such as science and See “Safe farming with drone technology”
than scheduled. technology, policy and commercial issues, on page 29
Year after year, Syngenta
notably financing mechanisms and markets. confirms its commitment to
Since embarking on this journey, we
have learned some very important lessons For example, in Matto Grosso, Brazil, creating a positive impact in
The track record we have established through
that will now shape the next evolution of our Soja+Verde project is an environmental The Good Growth Plan has contributed the agricultural sector not only
The Good Growth Plan, which we plan partnership involving Syngenta, NGOs towards winning the trust of credible and through its technology but also
to announce in 2020. including TNC, as well as the local
government. It aims to help farmers comply
influential partners such as GLOBALG.A.P., via collaborations. Thanks to
which sets voluntary standards for the
When we started our Good Growth Plan with the Brazilian Forest Code, a policy certification of safe, sustainable agricultural
Syngenta’s commitment, different
journey, we did not anticipate how much framework that protects native forest areas products worldwide. communities all around the
the world would change within this timeframe: and reforest parts of agricultural lands.
political and societal trends, technologies world are able to get first-hand
Only by working together can neighboring Through the Plan, we have proved that we
in agriculture and even our own business farmers improve the connectivity of their can access and train farmers – with impact. knowledge on safe and sustainable
strategy look very different six years on. land for wildlife species and help build more GLOBALG.A.P. recognizes this and now farming practices.
So, when it comes to setting future suitable corridors for animals. entrusts us with training farmers in Argentina,
Costa Rica, India, Mexico, and the US who Flavio Alzueta
commitments, experience has taught In Hungary, our CONTIVO® solution continues are seeking GLOBALG.A.P. certification. Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer
us that flexibility is essential and five-year to help farmers to reduce erosion and maintain
targets are often the most pragmatic option. This gives us a valuable opportunity to embed GLOBALG.A.P.
soil health. a sustainability-first mindset among growers.
Capturing the power of partnership
See “More efficient practices make
Turning data into knowledge
One of the most important lessons we have
learned is the true power of partnership. for a healthier farm” on page 25 Digital technology is having a transformative
We would never have achieved so much impact on agriculture. Since we launched
through The Good Growth Plan without the The Good Growth Plan, the use of digital
We’ve also partnered with leading policy and technology in agriculture has increased
support and buy-in of our partners. We are decision makers, together with the United
truly excited by the global “Innovation for exponentially, and it will continue to do so.
Nations Convention to Combat Desertification Expanding the use of digital tools when
Nature” collaboration we announced together (UNCCD), providing farmers and policy
with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in measuring our progress will be important
makers with the support they need to take to ensuring our next Plan keeps delivering
2019. The multi-year collaboration aims to care of their land and their business.
promote soil health, resource efficiency and benefits to growers and stakeholders alike.
habitat protection in major agricultural regions In China, we have partnered with the National As the first agricultural company to advocate
worldwide, and brings together Syngenta’s Agricultural Extension & Service Center an open data approach, we have worked
research and development capabilities and (NATESC) and the Ministry of Agriculture and with the Open Data Institute (ODI) over several
TNC’s scientific and conservation expertise Rural Affairs (MARA) to train farmers on the years to apply best practice standards to
to scale up sustainable agricultural practices. safe use of pesticides and better farming our data, making them more usable by
practices. Since 2000, the trainings have other stakeholders. Making it easier to share
We know the rich value that derives taken place at farmers’ meetings all over
from working with partners in pursuit and access the unprecedented volumes of
China, organized by Syngenta and local data we collect through The Good Growth
of shared goals. partners. We train farmers how to protect Plan enables academics and other partners
themselves while handling and spraying to produce richer, more informed and
pesticides, using techniques which conform useful insights.
to safety regulations.
22 Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019

Our engagement with the Global Open Data For example, the largest potato grower in Moving ahead will also involve acting on
for Agriculture and Nutrition (GODAN) is the US, R.D. Offutt, planted non-productive the feedback from the listening sessions
designed to achieve a common metric that corners of its potato fields in Minnesota with we held with a wide variety of stakeholders
allows researchers to further sharpen their our Operation Pollinator regionally-tailored in 2018. These sessions were crucial to giving
insights by standardizing the way we combine seed mixes to create environmentally diverse us a better understanding of what society
and exchange data. wildflower habitats and increase the number expects from Syngenta and our industry,
of pollinating insects. As well as substantially and what sustainable agriculture really means
Further simplifying and standardizing the way increasing biodiversity, it also enabled to different groups.
we source, share and analyze data will provide conversations with the community about
farmers with the insight generated and tailored encouraging pollinators in their local area. The commitment we made following the
agronomic advice in good time for the current listening sessions – to accelerate our
growing season. Not only has The Good Growth Plan innovation and invest $2 billion over five years
proved beneficial to farmers and other into technological breakthroughs specifically
Building trust, credibility and pride stakeholders, but it has also fostered a sense aimed at advancing sustainable agriculture
Thanks to The Good Growth Plan, farmers of pride among employees and, crucially, – will be integral to the next evolution
trust us as a credible and reliable source attracted interest from potential recruits. of The Good Growth Plan.
of information on how to implement Making a meaningful contribution to society
the principles of sustainable farming. in the workplace has become more and See “Accelerating innovation
The productivity data generated at farm more important to people. An employer in a changing world” on pages 6-9
level allow them to hold more informed with demonstrable sustainability credentials
conversations with their customers further is more likely to win the race for their talent
down the food value chain. This has and commitment. As this first stage of The Good Growth Plan
contributed significantly towards optimizing draws to a close, we would like to thank all
sustainable food production. One example The Good Growth Plan continues to be a key those who have accompanied us along this
in the US is where Kellogg’s, The Nature factor in recruiting and retaining the brightest journey to date. They include, among many
Conservancy and Syngenta have been people in our industry to keep accelerating others, farmers, employees, national and
working to create a more sustainable supply the breakthrough innovations that drive local authorities, food value chain partners,
chain by helping farmers document and sustainable agriculture. NGOs and academics. Their expertise, insight
demonstrate how conservation practices Looking to the future and energy continue to help us to turn our
enhance natural resource management and commitments into real, measurable benefits
support water quality both in Saginaw Bay Since its launch, The Good Growth Plan’s for farmers, the people they feed and the
and the larger Great Lakes watershed. principles and priorities have become deeply planet we all share. We invite everyone to join
embedded in the way we do business. It has us as we continue into the next exciting phase
At the same time, Good Growth Plan enabled us to enhance our commercial of The Good Growth Plan.
projects have also enabled farmers to hold offer, deliver real and measurable benefits
different, more informed conversations within to farmers, rural communities and the
their communities. environment. The next step is to build on
the progress we have made and the lessons
we have learned.
4. The Good Growth Plan Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019 23

Make crops Rescue Help biodiversity Empower Help people Look after
more efficient more farmland flourish smallholders stay safe every worker

Increase the average Improve the fertility of Enhance biodiversity Reach 20 million Train 20 million farm Strive for fair labor
productivity of the 10 million hectares of on 5 million hectares smallholders and workers on labor conditions throughout
world’s major crops by farmland on the brink of farmland enable them to safety, especially in our entire supply
20 percent without of degradation increase productivity developing countries chain network
using more land, by 50 percent
water or inputs

Progress and key achievements 2014–2019

18.8% 14.1m 8.2m 26.5m 42.4m 99.0%

Land productivity increase1 Hectares of Hectares of Smallholders reached through People trained on safe use5 Suppliers included in
benefited farmland2 benefited farmland2 training and sales3 sustainability and fair
labor programs6

28.5%
Smallholder land
productivity increase4

We have increased We’ve already exceeded Our biodiversity projects We have reached over We have trained We’ve covered
reference farm yields our 2020 target by almost around the world 20 million smallholders unprecedented 99 percent of our supply
ahead of their 5 million hectares – and continued to deliver and substantially numbers, exceeding chain, and we’re leading
benchmarks and we’re continuing to raise measurable benefits to increased their our 2020 target of the industry to increase
recorded efficiency awareness for the farmers and their wider productivity, but there 20 million by reaching wages in the seed
improvements of more importance of soil health communities is still a way to go   42.4 million people supply chain in India
than 20 percent for
nutrients and pesticide
field application
1 On reference farms compared to baseline 2014 3 In 2019 5 Cumulative since baseline 2014. Includes smallholders reached
2 Cumulative since baseline 2014 4 On smallholder reference farms compared to baseline 2014 through training reported under “Empower smallholders”
Additional progress information
6 In 2019 online at www.data.syngenta.com
24 Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019

Make crops
in clusters of uniform agro-climatic conditions Reference farms continue to outperform
and grower characteristics, and between Crop yields, input use and GHG emissions
them grow 19 crops in 39 countries. depend on environmental and market

more efficient
Reference farms are selected by Syngenta conditions and vary widely from country
and recommended to use Syngenta to country and year to year. However, with
products and to follow optimized protocols. six years of data now available, we are in
Benchmark farms are randomly selected by a position to report robust positive trends.
a third-party research agency and represent
UN Sustainable Development Goals typical grower practice for each cluster. We achieved significant improvements
2, 12, 17 Aggregated and anonymized data generated against our 2014 baseline when it came
on the farms in the network is publicly to GHG emission efficiency (36.7 percent),
available on our website as open data to nutrient efficiency (46.8 percent) and pesticide
To ensure sustainable food security, within We report the percentage increase achieved enable others to use it, for example, in their field application efficiency (33.4 percent).
planetary boundaries, the world needs a in land productivity, nutrient efficiency, own research. Although we recorded an 18.8 percent
step change in crop productivity. We are pesticide field application efficiency and improvement in land productivity, this was
committed to boost productivity of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission efficiency Farm network 1.2 percentage point short of our ambitious
world’s most important crops in partnership across a farm network. In 2019, the network 2019 2018 2017 20 percent target by 2020.
with growers without using more inputs like comprised 1,659 reference and 1,928 No. of reference farms 1,659 1,443 1,459
land or water. benchmark farms. The farms are grouped No. of benchmark farms 1,928 2,316 2,630 Land productivity
increase1 % 18.8%
2020 20.0

2019 18.8

2018 13.0

Measuring sustainability
2017 10.9
Case
study 1 On reference farms compared to baseline 2014

Sustainability increasingly matters to

Reference farms continued to outperform
consumers, so food processors and
the benchmark farms for GHG emission
retailers are looking for ways to track
and nutrient efficiencies over the six-year
their footprint and be transparent
monitoring period. Land productivity on
about it. For more than five years,
reference farms was better than the average
Rita Herford, a wheat farmer in Michigan,
12.4 percent increase on benchmark farms.
US, has participated in the Great Lakes
Origin Project with Kellogg’s, Syngenta Overall, the improvements we saw on
and a milling company. She tracks the reference farms were a strong validation of our
inputs on her farm using Syngenta’s sustained and continuing efforts to improve
farm management software Land.db and crop efficiency. The use of modern crop
shares the data with Kellogg’s. The data protection and seeds technologies has had
enables Rita to apply inputs very specifically, the biggest impact on increasing productivity.
which improves her resource efficiency. This has been particularly noticeable among
Kellogg’s, in turn, uses the data to inform its corn growers across the globe and tomato
Rita Herford customers – retailers – of the sustainability growers in South America and Europe.
tracks and
shares of its products such as the carbon footprint.
sustainability
information
with customers
4. The Good Growth Plan Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019 25

Rescue more Case

study
More efficient practices
farmland make for a healthier farm
Soil health is crucial to the longevity of any farm – something
UN Sustainable Development Goals that Péter Szabadka pays close attention to on his family
2, 13, 15, 17 farm in Hungary. Péter has been using our CONTIVO®
solution since 2015, helping improve the vitality of his soil
and prevent it washing away in heavy rain. Now an advocate
Benefiting more farmland of conservation agriculture, he has been investing in new
Today, over 50 percent of farmland is affected
machinery for cover cropping on his farm – further protecting
by soil degradation. Our response involves Under our Good Growth Plan, we report on the soil – as well as sharing these experiences with other
actively working with farmers to promote the hectares of land positively impacted by farmers. As a sign of healthier soil, Péter is finding more
conservation agriculture. As a core element sustainable soil management using practices and more earthworms in soil samples across his farm.
in climate-smart farming, it helps sequester such as conservation tillage, crop rotation
carbon in soil, prevent land degradation, and permanent ground cover.
improve food security, reinforce farm and
community resilience, enhance soil health Since 2014, we have implemented 261
and fertility, and deliver better crops to the projects in 44 countries and have benefited
value chain. a total of 14.1 million hectares of farmland
– surpassing the overall 2020 target of
As well as working with farmers, we are also improving the fertility of 10 million hectares of
raising awareness of soil conservation among farmland on the brink of degradation. In 2019,
value chain partners, academics, government our projects benefited 3.3 million hectares
institutions and others. For example, Syngenta of farmland.
has been the private-sector partner of the
UN Convention to Combat Desertification
(UNCCD) for six years, alongside the World
Hectares of
benefited farmland1 m 14.1m
Business Council for Sustainable Development 2020 10.0
(WBCSD). Conservation
2019 3.3 14.1 agriculture
keeps Péter
In 2019, we co-sponsored the WBCSD Szabadka’s
2018 10.8
Business Day on Soil, Land and Agriculture soil healthy
and strong
at the UNCCD COP 14 in India. This event 2017 7.5
brought together business representatives
1 Cumulative since baseline 2014
and key stakeholders with a collective interest
in combating land degradation worldwide.
Demand for digital solutions is growing and integrated pest management is helping We also continue to develop sustainable soil
The day’s main outcome was the UNCCD
strongly worldwide. For the third consecutive growers. SmartBio is a third-party platform and digital solutions across Asia, EAME and
Delhi Declaration from Business on focusing
year, the SmartBio initiative in sugarcane in developed in partnership with Syngenta that North America. In China, we have seen a
perspectives, commitments and policy
Brazil was our largest project in the country. allows sugarcane mill companies to map positive trend in the last two years, thanks
priorities towards achieving this shared goal.
Benefiting 1.9 million hectares, it exemplifies areas susceptible to different stress factors to projects such as soil health training in
how the combination of digital agriculture and select the best crop management mix Dingxi and straw incorporation in Qihe.
for each of them.
26 Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019

Help biodiversity
The sustainability of agriculture relies on margins support sustainable intensification on
biodiversity — for plant breeding, pollination more productive land and help reintroducing
and food diversity. We are promoting and local species while providing buffers for soil

flourish
enabling action to increase and connect and water. Other examples of biodiversity
habitats that support healthy and diverse enhancement practices include restoration
wildlife populations. and maintenance of managed forests
and agro-forestry.
A key strategy involves managing less-
UN Sustainable Development Goals productive farmland alongside fields and Exceeding our biodiversity targets
2, 15, 17 waterways to provide corridors connecting Since 2014, we have implemented 366
wildlife habitats. These multi-functional field projects in 41 countries and benefited a total
of 8.2 million hectares of farmland, exceeding
our overall 2020 target of 5 million. In 2019,
our projects benefited 1.8 million hectares
of farmland – more than double last year’s
contribution. This increase was primarily

Case
study
Making Bornholm a haven for pollinators driven by improvements made through
the Syngenta Sustainable Solutions program
in North America.
The Danish island of Bornholm is in full bloom. Beginning in 2018, Syngenta, volunteer farmers, and local
partner organizations, have been planting flower strips around the island’s farms and fields through the
Bornholm Blomstrer (“to bloom”) project – part of our Operation Pollinator™. Now in its second year, we
Hectares of
benefited farmland1 m 8.2m
have planted 8 hectares of flowers to provide habitat and resources for a variety of insect and animal 2020 5.0
species. Participating farms are now seeing more abundant resident wild bee and honey bee populations
inside the flower strips than in their unmanaged ditch and fallow spaces. 2019 1.8 8.2

2018 6.4

2017 5.6

1 Cumulative since baseline 2014

EAME and China have also seen increases.

In EAME, multi-functional field margins –
including riparian forests – are now the most
frequently adopted biodiversity measures in
our portfolio. In China, the increase was driven
mainly by the expansion of our Operation
Pollinator™ and Hives on Farm projects.

The biodiversity projects we invest in

worldwide continue to benefit farmers and
their wider communities. For farmers, the
positives include better soil nutrient cycling,
crop pollination, pest control and water quality
regulation. Social gains include enhanced
genetic diversity, carbon sequestration
One of our and flood attenuation.
wildflower
strips outside
Bornholm Airport
4. The Good Growth Plan Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019 27

Empower Did you

know?
Smallholders
help feed the world
smallholders They produce half
of the world’s calories
and 80% of the
developing world’s food

UN Sustainable Development Goals

1, 2, 17

Smallholders produce more than 80 percent Smallholders reached

26.5m
50%
of the food consumed in much of the through training and sales m
developing world. Their crop productivity lags

80%
2020 20.0
well behind that of larger producers, so closing World’s calories
the gap significantly improves food security 2019 6.2 20.3 26.5

and reduces poverty. 2018 6.1 13.4 19.5 Developing

world’s consumption
Over half of our sales are made in growing 2017 5.6 13.9 19.4
economies where smallholder farmers Training Sales
predominate. Our contact with these
customers is generally indirect: they buy Through sales, we reached 20.3 million,
through local distributors and retailers. an increase of 52 percent on the year before.
We work with partners to provide smallholders In China alone, we reached 13.9 million
with tools and training that make agriculture smallholders, 82 percent up on 2018, mainly
more productive, efficient and profitable.
Training on new technology and farming
due to increased sales of our seed treatment
products MAXIM® and the new product
We also report on the average land
productivity increase for smallholders.
Smallholder land
productivity increase1 % 28.5%
practices helps smallholders improve their MAXIM® Advance. In 2019, the average increase in land
2020 50.0
yield and access to market. Through our productivity for smallholder reference
Through training activities, we reached farms compared to the 2014 baseline was 2019 1.8 28.5
reach, we help restore and maintain vibrant 6.2 million smallholders in 2019.
rural communities and enable farmers to 28.5 percent – almost three times better 2018 21.9
This represents 73 percent of the total than the average increase for smallholder
progress beyond subsistence agriculture. 8.6 million people we trained globally in 2019 – 2017 21.6
benchmark farms. However, we fell short
Expanding our reach through sales which is reported under the “Help people stay of our ambitious target of 50 percent 1 On smallholder reference farms compared to baseline 2014
and training safe” commitment. About 90 percent of the productivity increase on smallholder
smallholders we trained are in Asia Pacific. farms by 2020. We found this is because smallholder
We report on the number of smallholder
farmers we reached through sales as well reference farmers that work with Syngenta
as through training. In 2019, we reached a See “Help people stay safe” for many years are already well advanced,
on page 29 with above-average baseline productivity.
combined total of 26.5 million smallholders
through both channels. This represents an This is important since their farms also serve
increase of 36 percent on the previous year as demonstration farms for other farmers in
and exceeds our 2020 target of reaching their clusters.
20 million smallholders.
28 Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019

Case
study
Having an impact When Noah Naisali Kadima started farming, he knew
little about it and sought advice and recommendations
as a smallholder farmer from various sources. Since becoming a reference
farmer in Syngenta’s Good Growth Plan in 2015,
he has seen growing success on his small farm outside
Nairobi, Kenya. After receiving training on how to use
crop protection products safely and more effectively,
Noah managed to cut his costs significantly while still
improving his yields and profits. Noah also encourages
other growers in his community to apply good agricultural
practices and trains them during demonstration days
on his farm.

Noah Kadima
grows onions,
peppers and
tomatoes in Kenya
4. The Good Growth Plan Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019 29

Help people Case Safe farming with

stay safe
study

drone technology
As application technology for crop protection
products becomes more advanced, farmers need
UN Sustainable Development Goals
to stay on top of how to safely use these new
2, 3, 17
systems. One of the latest developments is the
use of drones to apply crop protection. Shi Lijie is a
Syngenta Safe Use Training Ambassador and leader
We are committed to helping improve This year’s figure represents a slight increase of the Agriculture Extension Service operating out
occupational safety and health in agriculture. compared to 2018, driven mainly by a of Daliutun town in the Liaoning province, China.
Ensuring that our products are used correctly significant increase in Asia Pacific that was She has helped us train farmers in the safe and effective
is integral to our business model – to protect offset by a slight decrease in Latin America. use of pesticides since 2006. Now, Shi Lijie includes
not only the health and safety of farm workers
42.4m
People trained safe-use practices for drone application in her training
and the public, but also the environment. sessions for local growers. In 2019, she has helped
on safe use1 m
This is particularly important for smallholders, train more than 3,000 farmers through both online
2020 20.0 telecasts and face-to-face demonstrations.
especially those in developing countries,
where using crop protection efficiently, 2019 8.6 42.4
responsibly and safely has a big impact 2018 33.8
on rural welfare.
2017 25.5
The benefit for customers comes both from
1 Cumulative since baseline 2014. Includes smallholders reached
using our products safely and using no more through training reported under “Empower smallholders”
than is necessary, so that they minimize
environmental impact and maximize their Asia Pacific accounts for a large part of
return on investment. the people we train worldwide. In 2019,
Expanding our safe-use we implemented new partnerships with
training activities sugarcane, corn and cassava value chains
in Thailand.
We report on the number of people who
may be exposed to crop protection products Latin America reported an overall decrease:
– such as farm workers, farm owners, although Brazil trained significantly more
smallholders, product distributors and people, this increase was offset in Latin
employees – who attended safe-use training America North when we shifted to delivering
activities on the responsible handling and safe training directly through Syngenta and less
use of crop protection products. through partners.
In 2019, we trained 8.6 million people,
bringing the cumulative total since 2014
to 42.4 million – exceeding our overall 2020
target of 20 million.
Shi Lijie advises
farmers in the
field on safe
and effective
pesticide use
30 Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019

Look after
the FLA, we convened a multi-stakeholder The percentage of formulation, fill and pack
consultation in Hyderabad which, though tollers in the program decreased slightly to
it did not lead to consensus among the 83 percent (2018: 86 percent), while the

every worker
companies, helped Syngenta to develop a percentage of packaging manufacturers
six-step action plan to address wage issues increased to 63 percent (2018: 50 percent).
and begin pilots in two regions and crops.
The results of the pilots are encouraging, and As well as auditing and assessing
the FLA has published an independent report performance, our experts support our
UN Sustainable Development Goals complete with key learnings on their website suppliers to identify and make the right
2, 8, 17 at www.fairlabor.org. improvements. We also run safety and
environmental training programs to help
We continue to implement our global address gaps in areas from risk assessment
We are committed to ensuring fair labor The areas we report on include the percentage program in line with FLA requirements to emergency management.
conditions across our supply chain, and of Syngenta seed producing countries and and are working to obtain FLA accreditation
on a country-by-country basis. Through the TfS initiative, we work
we recognize our responsibility to ensure our seed supply farms included in the Syngenta
collectively with other chemical companies
suppliers meet the highest ethical standards. Fair Labor Program.
Assessing and improving to drive improvements in the sustainability
We report on the coverage of fair labor and
Since 2004, we have worked with the Fair sustainability performance of our supply chains. Our membership
sustainability programs in our main direct
Labor Association (FLA) to develop and roll of our chemical supply chain enables us to access supplier data from
procurement activities: seed, chemical
out our Fair Labor Program tailored specifically We engage with our chemical suppliers to audits and assessments covering all areas
and flowers supply chains.
for this complex supply chain. The program assess and drive improvements in their health, of sustainability.
In 2019, 99 percent of all our suppliers were assesses labor practices on farms including: safety, environmental and social standards Flowers: meeting growing demand
covered by these programs. We recognize health and safety; child labor; awareness through our Supplier Sustainability Program. for Fairtrade products
that we cannot achieve 100 percent coverage of workers’ rights; wages and benefits;
because of constant changes in our supply working hours; harassment and abuse; This comprises on-site audits by our Reporting areas here include the percentage
chains, but we continuously strive to include and discrimination. own auditors, and audits or assessments of Syngenta and third-party commercial flower
our entire supply chain. conducted through the chemical farms that hold a valid GlobalG.A.P certificate.
In 2019, our program covered 99.3 percent of industry’s Together for Sustainability In 2019, 88 percent of all farms held this
Suppliers included all our seed supply farms (2018: 99.2 percent). (TfS) initiative. This program assesses certification (2018: 96 percent). The decrease
in sustainability and
fair labor programs1 % 99.0% This represents 29 out of our current 33
seed-producing countries. We still need
suppliers’ performance against our
standards, identifying potential gaps
was due to an increase in the overall number
of commercial flowers farms that are now in
2020 100.0 to implement our Fair Labor Program and supporting suppliers to make the process of completing certification.
2019 99.0
on 303 farms in the four remaining countries. the required improvements.
This year, our Kenya Pollen farm achieved
2018 98.8 The Fair Labor Association accredited our In 2019, 94 percent of our chemical Fairtrade accreditation – our second under
Syngenta Fair Labor Program in India in 2015. suppliers were included in our this scheme after our Kenya Cuttings farm
2017 86.0
We were the first agricultural company to earn Supplier Sustainability Program. was accredited in June 2018. We sought
1 The seed supply chain represents about 98% of the suppliers this status, which confirms that a company’s Coverage remained stable during the year accreditation in response to growing demand
targeted by our sustainability and fair labor programs systems and procedures have been shown due to natural fluctuations of the supplier in the value chain for Fairtrade products.
to successfully uphold fair labor standards base. For instance, we have added new
Ensuring fair labor on seed supply farms throughout its supply chain. supplier sites in China after the relocation of
manufacturing sites as a result of production
Comprising some 42,000 farms, our seed Also at this time, recognizing that minimum suspensions in certain provinces; and
supply chain accounts for about 98 percent wage issues affect entire communities of in LATAM following the reprioritization of
of the suppliers targeted by our fair labor Indian farmworkers, the FLA and Syngenta our supplier base. There were also some
and sustainability programs. sought to raise awareness among peer suppliers that we will no longer audit as
companies and began a collective effort they are phased out.
to address minimum wages. Together with
4. The Good Growth Plan Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019 31

Case
study
New opportunities for rural After an audit by the Fair Labor Association (FLA), one of
the potential areas for improvement we identified in our seed

women in Argentina supply chain in Argentina was the employment of more

women. We held pilots in 2018, adapting our recruitment
to attract more women applicants for roles as field workers
and supervisors, and were met with keen interest. In 2019,
we expanded this campaign to another seed multiplication
site. These developments build on the success of our
Argentine seed supply chain, which has consistently
maintained excellent levels of compliance with the FLA
Code of Conduct.

Bringing more
women into
our supply chain
in Argentina
32 Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019

The Syngenta Foundation works with small-scale farmers in

developing countries. We help them increase their productivity,
income and resilience. Innovations in many forms play a crucial role.
Our aim is to make these available to many more farmers, faster.

The Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Raising staple crop yields

Agriculture (SFSA) concentrates on three in developing countries
thematic areas: Access to Seeds, Risk One important aim for crop breeders is to
Management and Agriservices. We support develop varieties that cope well with weather
these workstreams with partnerships in extremes. Climate change and increasing
Research and Development (R&D) and on weather volatility make this task more crucial
Policy. Focusing on a dozen countries in Africa than ever. Modern drought-tolerant crop
and Asia, we collaborate with a wide range varieties help farmers achieve good yields
of organizations from the public, private and even in dry years.
non-profit sectors.
However, they are often out of the financial
Smallholders’ yields are typically far lower than reach of smallholders. Our partnership on
they could be. Improving this situation requires AAA Maize aims to solve this problem.
both the development of better crop varieties It brings us together with Syngenta and
and other innovations, and their widespread the international R&D organization CIMMYT.
use in the field. In 2019, we made significant
progress with corn, tef and cassava. Together, they developed drought-tolerant
corn that has been available to Indian
Accelerating smallholders’ smallholders through local seed suppliers
since 2017. Several such companies began
ability to benefit from producing and selling AAA Maize in 2019,
The Syngenta Foundation helps rural technology does not  greatly increasing its availability. The corn
communities benefit from technology involve free hand-outs. enables farmers in drought-prone areas
to maintain good yields despite low rainfall.
In agriculture, properly

Turning
“Importantly, accelerating smallholders’ ability
functioning markets are to benefit from such technology does not
the only way to ensure involve free hand-outs”, comments SFSA
sustainable improvements.
innovations
Director Simon Winter. “In agriculture, properly
functioning markets are the only way to ensure
Simon Winter sustainable improvements.”
Director, Syngenta Foundation
© Syngenta Foundation Bangladesh

into smallholder
Tef, the national cereal of Ethiopia, is an
orphan crop. Unlike corn, it has received very
little attention from the international scientific
community. As a result, productivity of this vital

income
food for the Horn of Africa lags far behind that
of many other cereals.
 Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019 33

Local entrepreneurs and international to test, validate and market agri-tech

digital tools innovations. Smallholders can therefore
Over recent years, SFSA has also access the innovations faster, thus improving
pioneered innovations in Risk Management their productivity and income, and reducing
and Agriservices. The latter include the their risks.
establishment of Agri-Entrepreneurs (AE’s) G.A.T.E. also improves data quality, reporting,
in India. feedback and project management, and
Our program enables young rural people to keeps partners in touch throughout the
build up a business, each serving about 200 process. A technology library connects ideas
local farmers. The number of AE’s rose rapidly and partners with local needs and agencies.
in 2019, to about 3,000. The program is now “We are already in discussion with a number
Cassava planting set for much larger expansion through the of potential users”, says SFSA project lead
material prepared
for testing joint creation with Tata Trusts of the Agri- Andrea Balmer. “The platform is available to
by Ugandan Entrepreneur Growth Foundation. anybody exploring agri-tech ideas. By solving
specialists

We are also promoting the role of AE’s many of the current bottlenecks in technology
in specific forms of technology transfer. transfer and adoption, G.A.T.E. will help
Our partnership with researchers in Ethiopia Healthier soil brings numerous benefits Over the last 18 months, the entrepreneurs smallholders to access the technologies they
and Switzerland has led to the development Good-quality seeds play a central role have helped several agricultural breakthroughs need and deserve.”
of new tef varieties. The first of these began to in sustainable agriculture. Increasing from abroad to reach much larger numbers
reach significant numbers of Ethiopian farmers smallholders’ harvests and profits, however, of Indian farmers than was typical in the past.
in 2019, while further varieties received also requires progress in other areas.
registration from the authorities. We are “We look for possibilities in countries with
now working to accelerate the adoption In late 2018, SFSA extended its activities highly innovative agriculture”, explains
of improved tef across the country. into the area of soil health, initially in Kenya. Baskar Reddy, our Country Director for India.
Here we are collaborating with The Nature “One major area for improvement in Indian
Cassava is a key staple in several African Conservancy (TNC) in a densely populated farming is water-use efficiency, and there are
countries. The usual planting material is bulky, region near Nairobi. numerous other examples. We are delighted
however, and vulnerable to disease and to improve our growers’ access to the best
pests. Lack of a formal market deters local “An important goal is to help smallholders technological solutions.”
companies from supplying smallholders with combine rainwater storage for irrigation
better material. with appropriate agronomic advice so they SFSA is also investigating digital options
Building a business that serves her community:
can earn money with off-season vegetable- for facilitating technology transfer. Using the Indian Agri-Entrepreneur Kavita Patil
We are partnering with researchers in Uganda growing”, explains George Osure, our Swiss digital platform Global Agri-Technology
and Brazil to tackle this challenge. In 2019, Regional Director for East Africa. “The work Evaluation (G.A.T.E.) makes it much easier
our MandiPlus initiative proved the benefits of here also reduces erosion, which benefits
planting much shorter pieces of cassava than yields and water quality.”
in conventional practice, and of protecting
UU A Swiss non-profit, founded in 1981
them against soil-borne pests and diseases. The initiative further includes improvements
in soil testing, plant nutrition and Integrated UU More than 200 employees in 10
The new technology’s good performance countries, initiatives in 15
Pest Management. We are now investigating
has also attracted interest from other additional soil health work in China, as part of UU Partners with dozens of organizations
countries, notably Thailand. SFSA is now the global Syngenta partnership with TNC. around the world
focusing on turning the concept into an UU 2019 Syngenta funding $17 million
attractive commercial proposition for local
companies and their smallholder customers. Additional information online at
The MandiPlus initiative is supported by the www.syngentafoundation.org
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
34 Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019

In 2019, we completed a major piece of work

that will have a significant long-term impact
on how we operate as we prepare to make
a step-change in agricultural sustainability.
We undertook a comprehensive assessment
of our environmental footprint. This equipped
us to establish a baseline upon which we have
now set hard targets to reduce the carbon,
water and waste intensity of our operations.

Since most of our operational impacts

come from our supply chain, achieving
our sustainability targets will mean working
hand-in-hand with our suppliers to achieve
the targets we have set for ourselves.
After all: we can only be truly sustainable
if our suppliers are as well.

Our people remain the source of our

competitive advantage, and their attitudes
and actions are fundamental to achieving our
targets. Engaging and developing our people
while fostering an empowering working culture
that inspires them to make the best of their
talents remains a top priority. With the safety
and wellbeing of all our stakeholders in mind,
we remain fully committed to achieving our
Goal Zero vision of zero harm to people and
zero safety incidents.

Our operations We continuously strive to maintain the highest

levels of ethical behavior and compliance,
and apply equally rigorous standards to

Putting sustainability first

how we manage our relationships with the
communities in which we work. By fostering
a culture of doing the right thing, we aim

across all our operations

to manage risk and earn recognition as a
trustworthy and collaborative partner at every
level – from suppliers and customers to
NGOs, policymakers and society at large.

To us, doing the right thing also means

Securing the long-term viability of our business means using resources playing our part in achieving the UN
efficiently – and sustainably – in all our operations. It also means actively Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
reducing adverse impacts on climate, the environment and society. In each area of our operations, we look at
how we can best support the SDGs as part
of our contribution to leaving a better planet
for future generations.
5. Our operations Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019 35

People
Building a more diverse and Underpinning our work, in 2019, half of our We continue to build employee engagement,
inclusive workforce – more agile most senior leaders participated in D&I training and during 2019 made new channels available
and customer centric to understand the impact of unconscious bias to reduce the need to travel and continue
Total staff numbers increased slightly to and tactics to eliminate it. to foster collaboration. Our new myVideos
UN Sustainable Development Goal 8 28,265 in 2019. The attrition rate, representing platform enables employees across the globe
A core theme of our 2019 Global Leadership to create and share their own video content,
only voluntary leavers, increased to Conference was customer centricity, and
6.4 percent compared to 5.8 percent in the direct from their mobile devices.
it became a focus of our cultural shift.
previous year. During 2019, we insourced Our approach to addressing some of our We also made significant progress in
Our people’s development recruitment to strengthen our capability to more pressing business issues has also addressing the top two issues highlighted
attract and retain talent.
is a priority; they are our evolved, utilizing agile capabilities and in our Pulse surveys – IT and performance
leveraging sprints. This approach has management. We have invested in IT and,
competitive strength. We We are committed to increasing diversity in
benefited many projects throughout the year, for example, introduced IT Walk-In Centers
our workforce and made great strides towards
continue to build a diverse delivering our five-year diversity and inclusion starting with pilots in marketing, APAC, and in key sites, provided easier and more secure
and inclusive culture, where (D&I) strategy. our Brazil commercial and supply chains. ways to access our network through single
people feel they can be the sign-on, and increased our internet bandwidth
Our most recent Pulse employee survey Engaging, developing and recognizing in many places.
best version of themselves. in 2018 told us that our female employees, our people
who constitute about 30 percent of the Our focus on leadership and talent Relating to performance management,
workforce, have lower levels of engagement development activities intensified and so this year, we invited employees from across
than men. did our investment in this area. In 2019, we Syngenta to help us reshape our performance
invested $6.9 million in developing leaders management process by crowdsourcing
In 2019, we took steps to address this issue and talent, up 6 percent on the previous ideas. After employees voted on a short list
by, among other measures, celebrating year. By extending our talent development of proposals, we introduced a few changes
International Women’s Day on March 8 and program portfolio, we increased the number in 2019, and a team is now exploring new
dedicating the whole month to highlighting the of people participating in leadership trainings solutions for 2020.
role of women in the workplace and in society. and accelerated the development of
In addition to gender diversity, we focused emerging leaders.
on other key D&I themes: flexible working
arrangements, LGBTI, mental health
and disabilities. We celebrated Pride
The private sector has a crucial month and announced our commitment
role to play in respecting and to the UN LGBTI Standards of Conduct for
Business. With our mental health campaign,
supporting the human rights we started the conversation about mental
of LGBTI people. The support of health in the workplace – raising awareness
Syngenta sends a powerful signal of individuals’ experiences and signposting
to the farming and agricultural employees and line managers to further
avenues of support available through our
innovation sectors and beyond. employee assistance program.
Fabrice Houdart We also became the first agriculture company
Co-author of the UN LGBTI Standards to join the Valuable 500 – the world’s leading
of Conduct for Business companies who are putting disability front
Leaders from
and center of corporate agendas. around the
company gather
together annually
to discuss
strategic priorities
36 Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019

0.34
We continue to foster a culture of ongoing Recordable illness on safe driving. At regional level, Brazil and In 2019, we completed rolling out the HSE
dialogue between employees and line and injury rate (IIR) Argentina introduced a Driver Safety Behavior Management System launched in 2018
managers. Pause2Talk was introduced last per 200,000 hours1 Policy that recognizes individuals for their across all Syngenta sites. The system aims
year to encourage every employee to discuss 2019 0.34 safe driving performance while applying to improve health, safety and environmental
their contribution, engagement and growth a warning and disciplinary mechanism (HSE) performance by further empowering
2018 0.32
with their manager. for at-risk behaviors. and equipping leaders to take ownership
2017 0.37 of HSE in their areas of responsibility.
A recent survey of our employees confirmed As well as influencing people’s behavior and
1 According to US OSHA definition for injuries and illness
that more than two thirds of them are improving their driving skills through training, While HSE is led by leaders, it is delivered
benefiting from such conversations. we are also using advanced technology and by all Syngenta employees, every day.
Sadly, there were three fatalities in 2019. improved vehicle design to reduce driving To ensure they fully understand their individual
Val-You, our peer-to-peer recognition program, One involved a fatal allergic reaction due risks. In Thailand, for example, we installed a HSE responsibilities and accountabilities,
allows employees to thank colleagues at any to multiple bee stings in Ethiopia. The other state-of-the-art telematics system in employee we updated our HSE Policy and Standards
level across the organization. Since its launch two involved motorbike accidents in India. vehicles that helped to reduce overall driver eLearning. In 2019, 96 percent of employees
in 2017, colleagues have used Val-You to risk levels by 40 percent in its first month. completed this refresher training.
make almost 80,000 awards recognizing 67 Driving remains our principal employee risk
category. We continue to raise awareness In North America, we are combining standard
percent of our workforce. Award nominations safety features – such as reverse sensing
are aligned with our company values and around this and other safety issues in regular
safety and ethics shares in team meetings systems and blind spot information systems –
“Determined execution” remains the most with advanced in-vehicle ergonomics.
recognized core value. and townhalls. In addition, we held a global
Safety Pause in 2019 that focused specifically
For the tenth year running, our employment
policies and performance earned us external
recognition in Science magazine’s annual Top
20 Employers Survey. In 2019, our ranking as
one of the world’s leading biotech employers
improved from 14th to 10th, and we are the
only agricultural company on the list.
Case
study
Turning data into knowledge
Keeping our people safe
We continuously aim to maintain the highest Dr. Laura Potter is our Global Head of
standards of health and safety in line with our Analytics and Data Science, leading a team of
Goal Zero vision of zero harm to people and mathematicians, geneticists and genomicists.
zero safety incidents. In 2019, our illness and Her team analyzes environmental and biological
injury rate remained low at 0.34 recordable data to help breeders make better decisions
incidents per 200,000 hours (2018: 0.32). throughout the seed research and development
The overall number of motor vehicle incidents process. Using algorithms, they recommend
per million kilometers remained stable at 1.6 plant genetics that are better suited to varied
(2018: 1.6). Across all regions, 145 of our grower needs, as well as identifying where to
production and research and development conduct field trials to best match real growing
sites reported a year without a single conditions. Laura and her team are now working
recordable incident. This was 19 more than to develop the analytical models that will design
the total of incident-free sites in 2018. the plant genetics of the future, serving the
needs of tomorrow’s growers.

Dr. Laura Potter

and her team
tailor seed
development to
grower needs
5. Our operations Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019 37

Sustainable
We have a vital part to play in making We also committed to a 20 percent reduction
agriculture more sustainable. Accordingly, in water intensity and waste intensity; and
we strive to use resources more efficiently carrying out biodiversity and soil conservation

operations
in our operations while reducing potential practices to the highest standards across our
environmental impacts. We recognize that seeds supply chain. We aim to achieve these
improving our environmental performance targets by 2030.
and sustainability delivers far-reaching benefits
across the organization. These include greater In addition, we affirmed our commitment to
UN Sustainable Development Goals operational efficiency, lower costs, better risk ensuring fair labor conditions, including health
3, 6, 8, 12, 13, 17 management, safer and healthier working and safety standards, throughout our seeds
conditions, a responsible and trusted partner and crop protection supply chain networks.
in the communities we operate, and enhanced Reducing our carbon footprint
We are continually improving employee engagement.
Our 2030 target of at least 50 percent
the efficiency of our operations, Operating sustainably requires reduction in carbon intensity has been
while always seeking to reduce working together validated and endorsed by the Science Based
Target initiative (SBTi). This is a joint initiative
any adverse impacts. The In 2019, we concluded a major piece of
of CDP, the United Nations Global Compact,
work aimed at assessing and measuring
long-term sustainability of our environmental footprint. This involved the World Resources Institute and World
our business also relies on analyzing data collected in 2016 to give Wildlife Fund. Its goal is to enable leading
engaging our supply chain us a baseline upon which we have now set companies to set ambitious and meaningful
targets. This analysis also provided a detailed corporate greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction
in these efforts. targets. Syngenta’s commitment is to stay
understanding of the environmental impact
of our own operations and those of our well below the Paris Agreement.
supply chain.

Most of our environmental impact comes

from our suppliers. For example, our supply
chain accounts for about 90 percent of our
carbon footprint, approximately 95 percent of
our water usage and up to 80 percent of our
waste. Clearly, managing our environmental
performance means working closely with our
Leadership from the agribusiness
suppliers to help them manage their impacts. sector is vital in the fight against
Hard targets for our operations
climate change, and by setting
In 2019, we committed to reducing the
these targets, Syngenta is putting
carbon intensity of our entire operations by themselves on a pathway to
at least 50 percent by 2030 to support the future-proof growth.
ambitious goals of the Paris Agreement on
climate change. This commitment aligns with Cynthia Cummis
our Accelerating Innovation commitment Director of Private Sector Climate Mitigation
to invest $2 billion in innovations that help World Resources Institute
farmers prepare for and tackle the increasing
threats posed by climate change.
All sustainable operations performance
indicators reported are for our own See “Accelerating innovation
operations only. in a changing world” on pages 6-9
38 Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019

To achieve our 2030 carbon intensity

reduction target, we will focus on improving
established detailed, real time measurement
and analytical data and we are using this
Monthey, Switzerland. Irrigation, which is
mainly from underground sources, is impacted
Hazardous waste intensity
g/$ sales 14.7
the efficiency of our manufacturing processes, analysis to initiate improvement projects. by weather – hence fluctuations from year to
design and implement site-based energy- We plan to carry out such projects on more year are normal. 2019 14.7
saving programs, increase the share of sites in 2020. 2018 13.9
renewable sources of energy, and partner During 2019, we focused on initiating
with our crop protection and seeds suppliers A good example of what can be achieved and driving water resources assessments 2017 14.3

to reduce their carbon footprint. In addition, is our site at Paulínia, Brazil, which is and improvement plans at our key sites.
we will further optimize our business travel upgrading its existing system of lighting We also conducted an environmental impact
to LEDs and solar LEDs. This will save assessment of our seeds supply chain. We are In 2019, intensity-based and absolute
and our logistics network. hazardous waste both increased by 6 percent,
394 MWh of electricity per year and avoided now working on developing improvement
mainly due to contaminated construction
120
CO2e emissions intensity the emission of 25.2 tonnes of CO2e per plans to address those areas of our supply
g/$ sales year – the equivalent of the annual electricity chain where we can make further progress. waste generated in an expansion project at
consumption of 213 Brazilian families. our site in Monthey, Switzerland, and disposal
An example of improving water use comes of obsolete equipment and stored waste
2019 120
In 2019, we extended our long-term from our site in Omaha, US. They identified in Huddersfield, UK, as well as increased
2018 117 collaboration with Maersk, a fourth-party that cleaning machinery at changeovers production activities compared to 2018.
2017 120 logistics (4PL) provider. An important focus between formulations used a significant
of the partnership is on sustainable logistics, proportion of the site’s water. Through analysis Intensity-based and absolute non-hazardous
eliminating fossil fuels in container shipping of how much water was being used – and is waste both decreased by 11 percent.
In 2019, intensity-based and absolute and supply chains to reduce CO2 emissions. actually necessary – at critical washing stages The decrease was mainly due to a return
CO2e emissions from our operations – to achieve the required cleanout level, the site to normal values after one-off events in 2018,
often referred to as Scope 1 and Scope 2 Preserving water was able to pinpoint where they could reduce which included disposal of remaining seeds
emissions – both increased by 3 percent, We are targeting a 20 percent reduction their water use. This allowed them to reduce inventory and generation of inert waste due
mainly due to increased emissions from our in water intensity by 2030. We will focus the volumes of water used for cleaning by over to construction work.
own operations and from purchased energy. on water use and water stress – especially 50 percent. In 2019, we focused our efforts on
for irrigation – and will form partnerships to understanding the waste footprint of some
The increase in emissions from own Avoiding waste
develop more effective processes or redesign of our key products. This analysis included
operations was mainly due to an increase
our supply chain. We are targeting a 20 percent reduction a full lifecycle assessment across our own
of GHG process emissions from our site in
in waste intensity by 2030. To reduce our operations and our supply chain. We also
2.3
Huddersfield, UK, and an isolated leak in Water usage intensity waste footprint, we will focus our efforts continued to address waste generation at
one of our production units in Green Bayou liters/$ sales
on improving process efficiency. This is a site-specific level and through improved
Bioscience, US.
particularly important when introducing new inventory management.
2019 2.3 products and designing the manufacturing
The increase in emissions from purchased
energy was mainly due to increased activity 2018 2.3 processes at the product development stage, For example, in Monthey, Switzerland, our
at our Swiss sites purchasing steam and the before large-scale production starts. And we active ingredient manufacturing site completed
2017 2.5
implementation of a new methodology to will significantly reduce the volume of waste the installation of a new bromine recovery
calculate the greenhouse gases generated packaging, improve the overall environmental and recycling system in 2019 that saved
by electricity consumption. This methodology In 2019, our intensity-based and absolute footprint of our packing, and aim to use approximately 3,500 tonnes of bromine
uses more accurate market-based emission water usage both decreased by 2 percent. recyclable packaging, with the focus on waste per year.
factors, where available. The increase in cooling water driven by reducing plastics.
increased production was more than offset
In 2019, we carried out several projects by decreases in water used for irrigation and
looking into energy consumption. for processing and washing. Cooling water
These projects involved key sites for active represents 59 percent of our total water
ingredient manufacturing, formulation, fill and usage, excluding the supply chain, and is
pack processing, and seeds research and mainly used at our active ingredient site in
development. Through these projects, we
5. Our operations Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019 39

Biodiversity and soil health In 2019, we updated our Seeds supplier Code
We strive to minimize soil erosion and
enhance biodiversity at the farms in our seeds
of Conduct to better address our standards
on issues including child labor, working hours Case
study
Carbon-friendly flower
cuttings from Ethiopia
supply chain. So we have set ourselves a and forced labor. In India, we are collaborating
target to ensure that 100 percent of our seeds with other Seeds companies to develop a
supply chain is carrying out biodiversity and roadmap towards progressing wages in the
soil conservation practices by 2030. To help seeds supply chain. This collaboration is
achieve this target, we will deploy measures based on the understanding that long-term
such as field margins, forests and beehives solutions in this area require collective action
to enhance biodiversity, while addressing soil from stakeholders such as industry partners,
erosion by, for example, promoting farming farmers and governments.
practices that minimize soil disturbance Through Together for Sustainability audits
and provide continuous soil coverage. and assessments, we assess the health,
To date, we have focused on achieving safety, labor, human rights, environmental
biodiversity and soil health improvements and ethical performance of our chemical
through our Good Growth Plan. In 2019, and packaging supplier base. For suppliers
we completed an assessment of our seeds with significant safety or environmental risks,
supply farms to identify opportunities for we conduct our own in-depth audits using
introducing best practices in soil conservation our own auditors. Where gaps are identified
and biodiversity enhancement. In addition, during these assessments and audits, we
we introduced biodiversity measures at several follow up and support our suppliers to make
of our facilities, such as Ûberlandia in Brazil improvements. In 2019, we updated our audit
and Research Triangle Park in the US. to strengthen the focus on process safety
management, one of the critical risk areas Renewable
geothermal
People: health and safety, for chemical manufacturers. energy keeps
and human rights our young
In addition to our audit programs, we have plants warm
We strive for fair labor and safe working
started broadening our engagement with
conditions throughout our own operations and
chemical suppliers to measure and improve
our supply chain network. We aim to have all
their carbon, water and waste impacts.
our suppliers included in our sustainability and From day to night, temperatures at our
fair labor programs. We also further developed and formalized flower-cuttings farm in Koka, Ethiopia, drop
our sustainable sourcing process in 2019, so significantly that it is necessary to keep
To help achieve this target, we will continue to our greenhouses heated against the low
giving training to all our procurement teams
enhance our assurance programs and partner temperatures. Historically, we used kerosene,
who work with chemical and packaging
with our Crop Protection and Seeds suppliers. derived from non-renewable fossil fuels;
suppliers. The training provides them
We will also focus on human rights and adapt however, in 2005: we switched to geothermal
with an understanding of our corporate
our assurance procedures to ensure suppliers energy – utilizing the site’s unique situation in
objectives, the risks associated with
adopt our standards. a volcanically active region. Using renewable
purchasing in those categories and the
requirements for conducting due diligence geothermal energy reduces the site’s footprint
and driving improvement. significantly, saving up to 32 tonnes of carbon
dioxide each month compared to historical
rates. Likewise, with its remaining electrical
demand being met through hydroelectric
sources, the site has managed to become
largely carbon-neutral.
40 Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019

Business
Embedding a culture of doing best approach to tackling similar dilemmas. of Conduct and meet its standards – as well
the right thing In 2019, 3,113 leaders were engaged as relevant external regulations on issues such
All our stakeholders – from farmers, in compliance sessions (2018: 3,108). as health and safety, the environment, fair

integrity
governments and research bodies to our labor practices and animal welfare.
partners, suppliers and broader society –
expect our leaders and employees to act
ethically. Earning their trust by doing the right
Leaders engaged in leader-led
compliance sessions 3,113 Protecting our people, products,
and sites
thing is fundamental to achieving our goals. 2019 3,113 Our security team works to protect our assets,
UN Sustainable Development Goals products, and – above all – our people,
1, 8, 16, 17 The importance we attach to ethical business 2018 3,108 especially in countries with high security risks.
practices is reflected in the prominence 2017 2,263
we give to ethical compliance. Our Ethics We proactively provide all Syngenta
Board, formed in 2018, oversees policies employees traveling on business with up-to-
Integrity is crucial to growing We actively encourage our employees to date information on travel risks and ensure
and standards and the implementation of
a sustainably successful our compliance framework, decides on raise their compliance concerns with their support if they are exposed to an unexpected
business. By fostering a material non-compliance cases and monitors manager directly or by using our confidential security incident on their journey. During
compliance helpline. In 2019, the number the year, the team contacted 176 travelers
culture of doing the right thing, stubborn or systemic compliance risk areas.
of reported cases was 251 (2018: 299). in relation to 28 separate incidents.
The compliance dashboard, issued half-
we aim to earn recognition as yearly, gives all leaders a transparent overview What we do is as important to us as the way Counterfeit products can harm users, the
a trustworthy and collaborative of the state of compliance throughout we do it. “How matters” is one of our values public, and the environment – and also our
partner at every level in the the organization. – and it applies to everyone who works for reputation. In 2019, we intensified efforts to
business chain. We strive Our line managers play an instrumental role Syngenta. In 2019, we asked employees to prevent illegal products ending up in regional
to preserve the security and in fostering a culture where ethics and safety confirm their commitment to our Code of markets, which resulted in the seizure of
Conduct, 99 percent of employees in scope 1,782 tonnes (2018: 1, 657 tonnes) and
integrity of our organization, are highly and visibly valued. During 2019, we
had signed the code. In addition, we also 1,817 tonnes (2018: 196 tonnes) of illicit crop
equipped our line managers with the tools and
operations and products, resources to help them fulfil their compliance require our suppliers to sign up to our Code protection and seed products respectively.
and to engage actively with responsibilities effectively.
the communities in which
Throughout the organization, line managers
we operate, building mutual include frequent safety or ethics shares
understanding and benefit. in team meetings or townhalls. The aim
is to embed safety and ethics awareness
into our working lives while encouraging
people to speak up. Leaders also have
regular in-depth discussion with their
teams, about both a safety and an ethical
compliance issue. Team members discuss
actual events, consider their safety or ethical
compliance implications, then determine the

Every day, we
remove $1m
of counterfeit
products from
the market
5. Our operations Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019 41

On the one hand, this increase reflects rising

levels of organized criminal activity across
our sector. On the other hand, it is also
Corporate community
investment $m $24m Case Taking care of
study

rural communities
down to the strength of our local and global 2019 24
partnerships with law enforcement agencies 2018 24
such as the US Department of Justice,
Interpol and Europol, and to a growing 2017 23
awareness amongst our sales force. This year,
we particularly focused on engaging and In 2019, we invested $24 million (2018:
training our Seeds sales teams. $24 million) in corporate community projects
The threat posed by illegal products is likely and through the Syngenta Foundation for
to grow as the volume offered for sale online Sustainable Agriculture. We engage with
proliferates. In response, we have developed communities worldwide in many different
our own machine learning tool that enables ways. Common themes include contributing
us to accurately detect illegal online offers in to livelihoods through employment and
more than 30 countries, with more to follow in education, sharing our practical skills and
2020. Cyber criminals are also launching fake expertise in improving farming practices,
Syngenta websites, apps and social media keeping communities and schools free
groups. In 2019, we took down 71 websites, from disease-spreading insects, and
107 apps and 21 social media groups. managing waste.

The threats we face are not only online. Recent examples include partially funding
Our Security 360° program supports houses for farmers in Vietnam, helping
strategic site managers to evaluate and housewives in a community in Indonesia to
improve site security. With our increased set up a community business and partnering Children can
grow their
focus on our Seeds sites, the program with a youth development organization in own produce
now covers 148 sites (2018: 131). Canada on an outreach program that teaches at school
youngsters about the vital role pollinators play
Building understanding and trust with in creating a sustainable food supply.
our neighbors
We also support employees’ own Growing isn’t just for farmers. Following
We recognize that we have a part to play humanitarian fundraising through matching Argentina’s financial crisis in 2001, employees
in community life. After all, our sites are an programs and donations. In 2019, these from Syngenta Argentina came together
active member of their local communities. focused on providing natural disaster relief to form Cultivando Solidaridad (Growing
Engaging with them means we can contribute in Africa and Asia. Solidarity) to collect toys, clothing and food
to local needs while also building mutual for children in struggling rural communities.
understanding and trust. Their efforts expanded in 2005, when they
Syngenta expects every site manager to began restoring school facilities, providing
be visible, available and responsive to local learning materials and improving school
concerns – whether these relate to the impact vegetable gardens for children to take home
of our operations or to community needs that their produce. The program supported 12
we can help address. schools in 2019 – representing around 1,050
pupils in total – and has prompted higher
school attendance and lower dropout rates,
with a reward system for students registering
fewer absences.
42 Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019

6 Our
leadership
Board of Directors
at December 31, 2019

Syngenta is led by a strong Frank Ning Jürg Witmer Carl M. Casale Hongbo Chen
and experienced Board of Chairman of the Board Non-executive Director and Non-executive Director Non-executive Director
Directors. The Board includes Non-executive Director  Lead Independent Director and Independent Director Born: 1973
representatives with six Born: 1958 Chairperson of the Committee Chairperson of the Audit Committee Nationality: Chinese
nationalities, drawn from Nationality: Chinese of Independent Directors and Member and Member of the Committee Initial appointment: 2017
broad international business Initial appointment: 2018 of the Compensation Committee of Independent Directors
Professional background
and scientific backgrounds. Born: 1948 Born: 1961
Professional background Nationality: Swiss Nationality: American Hongbo Chen is Executive Director of China
Its members bring diversity Initial appointment: 2006 Initial appointment: 2018 National Agrochemical Company Limited
Frank Ning was appointed as Chairman of
in expertise and perspective China National Chemical Corporation Limited (CNAC) since 2017.
to the leadership of a complex, (ChemChina) in 2018. He has also served Professional background Professional background After joining CNAC in 2005, he held
highly-regulated global business. as Chairman of the Sinochem Group Co., Jürg Witmer joined Hoffmann-La Roche Carl Casale spent 26 years working for various senior positions, including Deputy
Ltd. since 2015. Prior to that, Frank Ning was in Basel in 1978 and subsequently held Monsanto Company, starting as a sales Secretary of the Communist Party of China,
Chairman of COFCO Corporation (COFCO) a number of positions including Legal representative in 1984 and after several Assistant President and Chief Strategy
from 2004 to 2015 and Vice Chairman and Counsel, Assistant to the CEO, General sales, marketing, business development, Officer (2014–2017), Assistant President
President of China Resources (Holdings) Manager and China Project Manager and business leadership roles concluded and Chief Strategy Officer (2011–2014),
Co., Ltd. from 1998 to 2004. He also worked of Roche Far East based in Hong Kong, his tenure as Chief Financial Officer. In 2011, and Assistant President and Director of
at China Resources in top management Head of Corporate Communications and he left Monsanto to become CEO of CHS, the Planning Department (2008–2011),
positions for 18 years. In addition to his Public Affairs at Roche headquarters in Inc. which is the largest farmer-owned Director of the Planning Department
functions in Syngenta, Frank Ning holds Basel, Switzerland, and General Manager cooperative in the United States and (2005–2008). From 2000 to 2005, he was
the following board memberships: of Roche Austria. From 1999 to 2005, he is a Fortune 100 Company. Senior Engineer and Project Manager at
UU Listed companies: Chairman of Far East acted as Chief Executive Officer and from Mr. Casale is a Senior Agricultural Partner the China National Petroleum and Chemical
Horizon Ltd., Chairman of China Jinmao 2005 to 2017 as Chairman of the Givaudan at Ospraie Management, LLC, which is Planning Institute. From 1998 to 2000, he
Holdings Group Ltd., Chairman of Group in Vernier/Geneva. From 2008 to engaged in ag-tech venture capital and worked at the Planning Department of
Sinochem Hong Kong (Group) Co., Ltd. 2012, he was also Chairman of Clariant AG, private equity investing. He is also a co- China National Petroleum Administration
Basel. Apart from his functions in Syngenta, owner with his wife Kim of Casale AG, LLC, Authority. From 1994 to 1998, he worked at
UU Non-listed companies: Chairman Jürg Witmer currently holds the following the Chinese Ministry of Chemical Industries,
of Sinochem Group Co., Ltd., which is a commercial blueberry farming
board memberships: operation in Oregon, US. holding positions in the Planning Department
Chairman of China National Chemical and the Planning Institute.
Corporation Ltd. UU Non-listed companies: Non-executive He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Agricultural
Director of A. Menarini IFR, Florence, Economics from Oregon State University He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine
Frank Ning ranks among China’s most Italy; and Chairman of Montcaud Holding Chemicals and Engineering Management
influential business leaders and is Co-chair and an Executive MBA from the Olin School
SA, Geneva, Switzerland. of Business at Washington University from Tianjin University and an MBA from
of APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), Tsinghua University in China.
Chairman of APEC China Business Council, He holds a Doctorate in Law from the in Saint Louis, Missouri, US.
and an Executive Director of the International University of Zurich, as well as a Degree
Chamber of Commerce (ICC). in International Studies from the Graduate
Institute of the University of Geneva.
Frank Ning earned an MBA degree from
the Business School of the University
of Pittsburgh in the United States and
a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics
from Shandong University in China.
He is a certified Senior International
Business Engineer.
6. Our leadership Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019 43

Louise O. Fresco Paul Fribourg J. Erik Fyrwald Sophie Kornowski Pedro Pullen Parente
Non-executive Director Non-executive Director Chief Executive Officer Non-executive Director Non-executive Director
and Independent Director Chairperson of the Executive Director Independent Director Member of the Audit Committee
Member of the Audit Committee and Compensation Committee Chairman of the Syngenta Foundation Member of the Compensation Born: 1953
the Committee of Independent Directors Born: 1954 for Sustainable Agriculture Committee and the Committee Nationality: Brazilian
Born: 1952 Nationality: American of Independent Directors Initial appointment: 2019
Born: 1959
Nationality: Dutch Initial appointment: 2018 Nationality: American Born: 1963
Initial appointment: 2019 Professional background
Initial appointment: 2018 Nationality: French
Professional background Pedro Parente is currently Chairman of
Initial appointment: 2018
Professional background Paul Fribourg is Chairman and Chief Professional background BRF, a leading global food company. He is
Prof. Louise O. Fresco is currently the Executive Officer of Continental Grain J. Erik Fyrwald was previously President and Professional background also Chairman of General Atlantic in Brazil,
President of the Wageningen University & Company. He has held his current role at Chief Executive Officer of Univar, a leading Dr. Sophie Kornowski is currently Senior a global private equity company, and a
Research Executive Board. She combines a Continental Grain since 1997. Prior to that, distributor of chemistry and related services Partner at Gurnet Point Capital, an investment partner in EB Capital, a Brazilian private
long academic career as a professor at both he held senior management, commercial (2012–2016); President of Ecolab, a cleaning fund based in Boston, Massachusetts, US, a equity company. He is a fellow of the George
Wageningen and Amsterdam universities, and commodity trading roles with the and sanitation, water treatment, and oil wholly owned subsidiary of Waypoint Capital Washington University – the Center for
with extensive involvement in policy and company in the United States and Europe and gas products and services provider Group which is the investment fund associated Latin American Studies, in Washington DC.
development in Africa, Asia and Latin beginning in 1976. Apart from his function (2011–2012); and Chairman, President and with the Bertarelli family. In her role, she He was the Chairman of the Board of B3, the
America. Louise Fresco spent 10 years of in Syngenta, Paul Fribourg currently holds Chief Executive Officer of Nalco, a water provides investment advisory services in the Brazilian stock exchange, among many other
her career as Assistant Director-General the following board memberships: treatment and oil and gas products and health-care and life-science sector. listed and non-listed companies.
of the Food and Agriculture Organization UU Listed companies: The Estée Lauder services company (2008–2011). He was Most of his early professional experience
of the UN. Her work has taken her to more Dr. Kornowski previously served as Executive
Companies, Inc., Restaurant Brands Group Vice President of the Agriculture and Vice-President of Roche Partnering and was was in the Brazilian public sector (1971-2002)
than 60 countries outside Europe and North International, Inc., Bunge Limited Nutrition Division of the DuPont Company having occupied several positions in Brazil’s
America. She is a member of eight scientific a member of the Roche Extended Corporate
and Loews Corporation. (2003–2008). He currently serves on the Executive Committee as well as a member of Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Planning,
academies, and has served on the boards Board of Directors for CropLife International helping the institutional building in the public
of Rabobank and Unilever. UU Non-listed companies: Continental the Board of Chugai, Japan. Prior to that, she
Grain Company, Wayne Farms LLC, and the Swiss-American Chamber of led the French affiliate of Roche in France for financial area in Brazil, including the creation
Louise Fresco obtained her Doctoral Degree Restaurant Technologies and Castleton Commerce. Apart from his functions in five years. Before joining Roche in 2007, she of the National Treasury Organization. As a
with honors from Wageningen University Commodities International LLC. Syngenta, J. Erik Fyrwald currently holds the held several management positions at Merck & Minister of State, he was in charge of the
specializing in tropical agriculture. following board memberships: Co. (1996-2007), Sanofi Winthrop (1991-1996), Energy Crisis Committee and was Chief
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from of Staff to President Cardoso. After his
She has published both in academic Amherst College and is a graduate of UU Listed companies: Bunge Limited, Abbott Diagnostics and Abbott Pharmaceutical
journals and in the popular media, her book Eli Lilly and Company. Products (1985-1991). experience in the public sector, he went to
Harvard Business School’s Advanced the private sector, were he was COO or CEO
“Hamburgers in Paradise, the stories behind Management Program. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical In addition to her functions in Syngenta,
the food we eat” has been translated into of four major companies in Brazil, including
Engineering from the University of Delaware Dr. Sophie Kornowski holds the following Petrobras and BRF. As Petrobras’ CEO he
three languages. and completed the Advanced Management board memberships: led the company’s recovery. Apart from his
Program at Harvard Business School. UU Non-listed companies: Founder and function in Syngenta, Pedro Parente currently
Non-Executive Director of Même holds the following board memberships:
Cosmetics, France; Stallergenes Greer, UU Listed companies: BRF S/A.
France.
UU Non-listed companies: Continental
Dr. Sophie Kornowski is also a member of Grain Company, E.bricks Early Stage
the Strategic Committee of the Genopole in Consultoria Ltda, EB Capital, Pague
France. She holds a Doctorate in Pharmacy Menos S/A, and Prumo Logistica.
from the Faculty of Pharmacy Paris V, and
an MBA in Marketing and Finance from the He is also the Chairman of OSESP’s board,
University of Chicago Booth, Graduate School the Symphony Orchestra of São Paulo.
of Business. Pedro Parente graduated in Electronic
Engineering from the University of Brasília.
44 Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019

Executive Team
at December 31, 2019

Under the leadership of the

Chief Executive Officer, the
Executive Team is responsible
for the active leadership and
operational management of
the Company, and defining and J. Erik Fyrwald Stephen Landsman Jonathan Parr
implementing business strategy. Chief Executive Officer Group General Counsel President Global Crop Protection
Executive Director Born: 1959 Born: 1961
Nationality: American Nationality: British
Chairman of the Syngenta Foundation
Initial appointment: 2018 Initial appointment: 2015
for Sustainable Agriculture
Born: 1959 Professional background Professional background
Nationality: American
Prior to his appointment as Group Prior to his current function as President
Initial appointment: 2016
General Counsel, Stephen Landsman Global Crop Protection, Jonathan Parr was
Professional background was Global Head of Mergers, Acquisitions Chief Operating Officer (COO) EAME & Latin
and Integration at Syngenta (2017–2018). America (2015–2016). Before that, he was
J. Erik Fyrwald was previously President and Before joining Syngenta, he was Executive Head of Global Crops & Assets for Syngenta
Chief Executive Officer of Univar, a leading Vice President, General Counsel and (2014), Regional Director for EAME (2009–
distributor of chemistry and related services Corporate Secretary at Univar Inc. 2013), Head of Syngenta Flowers (2007–
(2012–2016); President of Ecolab, a cleaning (2013–2017), and Vice President, General 2008), Head of Marketing and Strategy
and sanitation, water treatment, and oil Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Nalco (2004–2007) and European Manufacturing
and gas products and services provider Company (2003–2013). Mr. Landsman’s Manager (2000–2003). Before joining
(2011–2012); and Chairman, President and previous positions in Nalco company were Syngenta, he worked for AstraZeneca as
Chief Executive Officer of Nalco, a water Deputy General Counsel and Division VP a Factory Manager (1998–2000), Global
treatment and oil and gas products and Mergers and Acquisitions (2000–2003), and Product Manager Fungicides (1996–1998)
services company (2008–2011). He was Director of Acquisitions and Senior Attorney and Supply Chain Project Manager (1994–
Group Vice President of the Agriculture and (1997–2000). Apart from his function in 1996). From 1987 to 1994, he held project
Nutrition Division of the DuPont Company Syngenta, Steve Landsman holds no other and engineering management functions at
(2003–2008). He currently serves on the mandates in the supreme executive bodies Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI). Apart from
Board of Directors for CropLife International of listed or non-listed companies. his function in Syngenta, Jonathan Parr holds
and the Swiss-American Chamber of no other mandates in the supreme executive
Commerce. Apart from his functions in He holds a Juris Doctorate from the
University of Illinois College of Law, an bodies of listed or non-listed companies.
Syngenta, J. Erik Fyrwald currently holds the
following board memberships: AB (Artium Baccalaureatus) Degree from He is a Chartered Engineer and also
the University of Illinois and is a Certified holds a Bachelor’s Degree with Honors
UU Listed companies: Bunge Limited, Public Accountant. in Civil Engineering from the University of
Eli Lilly and Company. Southampton, as well as a Master’s Degree
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical in Management from the University of McGill,
Engineering from the University of Delaware Canada, and a Diploma in International
and completed the Advanced Management Management from the INSEAD Institute.
Program at Harvard Business School.
6. Our leadership Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019 45

Mark Patrick Laure Roberts Jeff Rowe

Chief Financial Officer Head Human Resources President Global Seeds
Born: 1969 Born: 1963 Born: 1973
Nationality: British Nationality: French Nationality: American
Initial appointment: 2016 Initial appointment: 2016 Initial appointment: 2016

Professional background Professional background Professional background

Prior to his appointment as Chief Financial Prior to her appointment as Head Human Prior to his current function as President
Officer, Mark Patrick was Head Commercial Resources, Laure Roberts was Head Global Global Seeds, Jeff Rowe was Vice President,
Finance at Syngenta (2011–2016). Prior to HR Business Partners (2013–2016) and Strategic Services and Planning at DuPont
that, he was Head Crop Protection Finance Head Human Resources for the region Pioneer (2015–2016) and also sat on the
(2008–2011 and 2005–2006), Head Finance EAME (2011–2013). Before joining Syngenta, company’s Leadership Team (DPLT). Before,
North America Crop Protection (2006–2008), she held a number of different HR leadership he was Regional Director for DuPont Pioneer
Head Business Reporting (2003–2005), functions at Air Products and Chemicals, Europe (2011–2015), Vice President Biotech
and APAC Regional Supply Finance Inc., a worldwide industrial gases company Affairs and Regulatory (2008–2011), and
Head Syngenta in Hong Kong. He joined where her last role was Vice President, Corporate Counsel (2001–2008). He started
AstraZeneca in 1993. Apart from his function Human Resources, Europe and Middle his career with Pioneer in 1995 in Supply
in Syngenta, Mark Patrick holds no other East (2004–2010). Laure Roberts started Management. Apart from his function in
mandates in the supreme executive bodies her career in 1988 with Valeo, a leading Syngenta, Jeff Rowe currently holds the
of listed or non-listed companies. automotive supplier. Apart from her function following board membership:
He is a Chartered Management Accountant in Syngenta, Laure Roberts holds no other UU Non-listed companies:
and also holds an honors degree in Quantity mandates in the supreme executive bodies Wayne Farms LLC.
Surveying and a Post Graduate degree of listed or non-listed companies.
He has a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural
in Economics. She holds a Master’s Degree from the Economics from Iowa State University,
Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris a Juris Doctorate from Drake Law School,
and an MBA from the University of Aston and a Global Executive MBA from the
in Birmingham. NYU Stern School of Business and
the London School of Economics.
46 Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019

7 Non-financial The Chief Sustainability Officer, reporting to the

CEO, and the Business Sustainability function
UU Relevance to sustainable development:
Level of significant impact on global
Approach to non-financial reporting
The Non-financial performance summary on
performance assess, advise and execute our sustainability
work, working closely and transparently with
sustainable growth determined using
The Global Risk Report 2019, The
pages 48-51 presents data on our progress
towards four goals:
governments, NGOs and society to find Earth Security Report 2017 and the
solutions we collectively need. Food in the Anthropocene Report of UU The Good Growth Plan: Help shape
Non-financial information the EAT Lancet Commission1 the future sustainability of agriculture,
Stakeholder engagement and deliver solutions that are better,
At Syngenta, non-financial information
We regularly assess stakeholder concerns The most important issue identified in our more productive and more beneficial
refers to quantitative and qualitative
and expectations. We engage with growers, materiality analysis is the global challenge of to rural economies
information on strategies, policies or
employees, communities close to our providing a growing population with healthy
activities pursued towards our business, UU People: Attract and retain talent while
operations, industry associations, NGOs, diets from sustainable food production.
environmental and social goals. creating an environment that stimulates
governments and investors. We used stakeholder feedback to define three
focus areas: innovation guided by society and innovation and personal performance
Sustainability
In late 2018, we held 150 listening sessions nature; striving for lowest residues in crops and development
Sustainability is integral to our business. with stakeholders from around the world in an and the environment; and investing where UU Sustainable operations: Manage our
Our ambition is to play a vital role in the food effort to build a shared vision for the future of it matters to farmers and nature. environmental footprint and maintain
chain to safely feed the world and take care sustainable agriculture. Through continuous
of the planet. The Good Growth Plan sets listening and dialogue, we aim to better the highest standards in our operations
specific, ambitious and measurable targets understand the role we can play and the Read more on
UU Business integrity: Maintain the highest
focused on boosting resource efficiency, commitments needed from all sides to help www.materiality.syngenta.com
standards across our entire business and
rejuvenating ecosystems and strengthening make a shared vision reality. go beyond regulatory compliance, while
rural communities. We are also committed
We have a strategic collaboration with Recommendations of the TCFD benefiting the communities and economies
to developing our people, reducing the
The Nature Conservancy that extends our The Taskforce on Climate-related wherever we operate
environmental footprint of our operations
and doing business responsibly. stakeholder outreach and helps us increase Financial Disclosures (TCFD) established
Our non-financial reporting covers the
the sustainability of our operations and the recommendations for voluntary climate-related
operations of Syngenta AG Group, including
resilience of a sustainable agriculture system. financial disclosures to help financial markets
Read more on material interactions with selected third parties
better understand the material climate-related
www.sustainability.syngenta.com Material topics as reported in the Non-financial performance
risks and opportunities to which companies
Our materiality analysis helps us identify summary. Our non-financial reporting has
are exposed, and how companies oversee
where we can provide the most value, drive been externally assured and prepared in
Sustainability governance and manage them.
our strategy, allocate effort and resources, accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative
The Board of Directors provides strategic and direct our external communication Syngenta supports the recommendations (GRI) Standards: Core Option. The non-
direction regarding all sustainability matters. and reporting. of the TCFD. In 2019, we conducted a gap financial reporting period is October 1 to
Louise O. Fresco, who brings extensive assessment on internal practices and external September 30.
experience and expertise in sustainable food Material topics presented on page 47 were disclosures, and work is currently underway
production, joined our Board of Directors identified using three criteria: to implement the actions identified. We also Read more on
in April 2019 reinforcing our commitment participated in the “TCFD Food, Agriculture www.gri.syngenta.com
to sustainable and responsible agriculture. UU Importance to Syngenta: Matters that
and Forest Products Preparer Forum”
The Syngenta Executive Team provides present the greatest risks and opportunities
convened by the World Business Council
regular updates to the Board of Directors on for Syngenta’s ability to create long-term
for Sustainable Development and TCFD to
the progress made regarding the company value and achieve our ambition
identify good practice, enhance disclosure
sustainability commitments. UU Importance to stakeholders: Concerns effectiveness and help companies implement
and expectations frequently raised by the TCFD’s recommendations.
1 World Economic Forum, The Global Risk Report 2019, 14th
stakeholders about our company, our Edition, p. 5; Earth Security Group, The Earth Security Report
industry, agriculture and food systems 2017, p. 6; The Lancet Commissions, Food in the Anthropocene:
the EAT-Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable
food systems, 2019, p. 6, p. 27 and p. 33–39
7. Non-financial performance Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019 47

Syngenta is a signatory to the United Materiality matrix

Nations Global Compact. Syngenta’s
Sustainable Business Report serves as
Medium Relevance to sustainable development High
our Communication on Progress (COP)
in implementing the 10 principles.
1
Internal controls over Access to seeds

Importance to stakeholders
2
non-financial reporting
Syngenta’s internal controls over non- 3
Air pollution 12
financial reporting were designed to provide
assurance to Syngenta’s Board of Directors
Biodiversity 15
and management regarding the reliability of
non-financial reporting and the preparation
and fair presentation of the information Business integrity 16
published in the Non-financial performance Importance to Syngenta
summary. All internal controls, no matter Climate change
13
how well designed, have inherent limitations mitigation and adaptation
and therefore may not prevent or detect
misstatements. In designing internal controls Dialogue, transparency
The UN Sustainable 17
and partnerships
over non-financial reporting, Syngenta used Development Goals
the criteria established in COSO’s Internal
Control – Integrated Framework (2013). Employee engagement 8

Syngenta’s Board of Directors and Human rights and

8
management are responsible for establishing fair and safe labor
and maintaining adequate internal controls
over non-financial information. The information Innovation in agriculture 2
in the Non-financial performance summary
was approved by the Board of Directors Land use changes 2
on February 20, 2020. and deforestation 15

PricewaterhouseCoopers AG, Switzerland,

Product responsibility 3
an independent registered public accounting
firm, has issued an opinion on Syngenta’s
2
Non-financial performance summary, which Resource efficiency 12
is included on page 52 in this Sustainable
Business Report. Rural development
1
and poverty alleviation

2
Safe and nutritious food 12

13
Soil health 15

Water conservation 6
48 Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019

Non-financial performance summary

The Good Growth Plan
Cumulative since Cumulative since
Reporting period October 1 – September 30 baseline 2014 2019 2018 2017 Reporting period October 1 – September 30 baseline 2014 2019 2018 2017
Make crops more efficient1 Help people stay safe
Total number of reference farms 1,659 1,443 1,459 People trained on safe use (m)3 42.4 8.6 8.3 8.2
Total number of benchmark farms 1,928 2,316 2,630 Countries with established Syngenta product
Land productivity increase on reference farms 18.8% 13.0% 10.9% toxicovigilance programs 100 100 100
Land productivity increase on benchmark farms 12.4% 7.0% 7.3% Crop Protection sales represented 93% 93% 94%
Nutrient efficiency increase on reference farms 46.8% 30.2% 20.3%
Reference farms outperforming benchmark farms 57% 64% – Look after every worker
Pesticide field application efficiency increase Suppliers included in sustainability and fair labor programs4,5 99.0% 98.8% 86.0%
on reference farms 33.4% 24.7% 14.2% Coverage of Syngenta Fair Labor Program
Reference farms outperforming benchmark farms 33% 38% – Syngenta seed producing countries5 88% 88% 68%
Greenhouse gas emission efficiency increase Seed supply farms5 99.3% 99.2% 86.0%
on reference farms2 36.7% 8.8% 14.0% Of which: farms in Fair Labor Association (FLA)’s
Reference farms outperforming benchmark farms 65% 69% – audit scope 100% 100% 67%
Of which: farms monitored6 20% n/a 20%
Rescue more farmland Coverage of Supplier Sustainability Program
Hectares of benefited farmland (m) 14.1 3.3 3.4 3.1 Chemical suppliers7 94% 94% 90%
Formulation, fill and pack tollers7 83% 86% –
Help biodiversity flourish Packaging manufacturers8 63% 50% –
Hectares of benefited farmland (m) 8.2 1.8 0.8 0.7 HSE audits at warehouse/logistics service providers 86 65 117
Commercial flowers farms with valid GlobalG.A.P. certification 88% 96% 90%
Empower smallholders Commercial flowers farms with valid G.R.A.S.P. assessment9 100% 44% 32%
Land productivity increase on smallholder reference farms1 28.5% 21.9% 21.6%
Land productivity increase on smallholder benchmark farms1 11.0% 6.3% 5.1%
Smallholders reached through training (m) 6.2 6.1 5.6
Smallholders reached through sales (m) 20.3 13.4 13.9

1 Reference farms were selected by Syngenta and are recommended to use Syngenta products and follow optimized protocols. 3 Includes smallholders reached through training reported under “Empower smallholders”
Benchmark farms were randomly selected by a third-party research agency and represent grower practice. Reference and benchmark 4 The seed supply chain represents about 98% of the suppliers targeted by our sustainability and fair labor programs
farms are grouped in clusters. A cluster presents homogeneous agro-climatic conditions and contains reference and/or benchmark farms 5 2018 values were restated due to a reporting error
with similar grower characteristics. The aggregation of the farm data is aligned with harvest seasons. The latest available progress data is 6 The 2018 figure was not available due to the implementation of a new reporting tool
2018 for clusters located in the Northern hemisphere and 2019 for clusters located in the Southern hemisphere. Evolutions are reported 7 Includes only chemical suppliers or formulation, fill and pack tollers categorized as posing a high or medium sustainability risk
for clusters with an established baseline and at least one year of progress data. Figures represent global averages. Details on methodology 8 Includes all packaging manufacturers independently of their level of sustainability risk
can be found on www.data.syngenta.com 9 Since 2019, the percentage of commercial flower farms with valid G.R.A.S.P. assessment include only own farms while in previous
2 Greenhouse gas emissions are calculated consistent with Cool Farm Tool methodology using available farm data and proxies years, it also included third-party farms. The assessment proved to be too onerous for third-party farms. Other alternatives to measure
where farm data was not available. For US farm data, calculation methodology is consistent with Field to Market: The Alliance performance are being evaluated
for Sustainable Agriculture

To find out more about our approach

to open data or to access the files
www.data.syngenta.com
7. Non-financial performance Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019 49

People

Reporting period October 1 – September 30 2019 2018 2017 Reporting period October 1 – September 30 2019 2018 2017
Employment Health, safety and well-being
Employees1 28,265 27,732 27,669 Recordable injury and illness rate (IIR) per 200,000 hours5 0.34 0.32 0.37
Europe, Africa and Middle East2 11,860 11,690 12,372 Recordable injury rate per 200,000 hours5 0.31 0.29 0.34
North America 4,091 4,120 4,092 Europe, Africa and Middle East2 0.37 0.39 0.43
Latin America 5,794 5,676 4,907 North America 0.54 0.54 0.64
Asia Pacific 6,520 6,246 6,298 Latin America 0.34 0.18 0.30
Part-time employees 914 912 927 Asia Pacific 0.13 0.14 0.16
Turnover rate3 9.5% 12.8% 11.3% Recordable occupational illness rate per 200,000 hours5 0.03 0.03 0.03
of which: <35 years 34% 33% 42% Europe, Africa and Middle East2 0.03 0.01 0.02
35-50 years 42% 41% 43% North America 0.04 0.07 0.08
>50 years 24% 26% 15% Latin America 0.07 0.03 0.04
Attrition rate4 6.4% 5.8% 5.2% Asia Pacific 0.00 0.02 0.00
Senior managers 292 299 339 First aid cases 404 378 382
Europe, Africa and Middle East2 57% 55% 62% Cases of recordable injuries 142 123 151
North America 23% 24% 17% Bruise, strain, sprain and dislocation 39% 35% 36%
Latin America 11% 9% 11% Cut and abrasion 22% 28% 25%
Asia Pacific 10% 12% 10% Bone fracture 9% 13% 15%
Concussion and internal injury 1% 5% 3%
Diversity Multiple injuries 5% 2% 6%
Nationalities in senior management 37 36 33 Other 24% 17% 15%
Female employees 31% 30% 30% Cases of recordable occupational illness 14 11 12
Female employees in management roles 25% 24% 23% Cases of work-related stress 12 7 7
Female employees in senior management 18% 17% 17%

Employee development
Leadership and talent development investment ($m) 6.9 6.5 4.2

1 Permanent full-time equivalent (FTE)

2 Includes headquarters (Switzerland)
3 Includes voluntary and involuntary leavers and restructuring
4 Includes only voluntary leavers
5 According to US OSHA definition for injuries and illness
50 Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019

Sustainable operations

Reporting period October 1 – September 30 2019 2018 2017 Reporting period October 1 – September 30 2019 2018 2017
Energy Water
Energy intensity (MJ/$sales)1 0.65 0.66 0.67 Water usage intensity (liters/$sales)1 2.3 2.3 2.5
Energy (TJ) 8,833 8,966 8,484 Water usage (million cubic meters) 30.9 31.4 31.7
Gas (TJ) 3,796 3,926 3,405 Cooling (million cubic meters) 18.3 17.9 19.1
Electricity (TJ) 2,265 2,297 2,387 Irrigation (million cubic meters) 5.0 5.3 4.9
Steam (TJ) 1,445 1,318 1,450 Processing and washing (million cubic meters) 5.7 6.3 5.8
Oil (TJ) 331 310 287 Product ingredient (million cubic meters) 0.2 0.2 0.2
Other (TJ) 996 1,115 955 Sewage and sanitary (million cubic meters) 0.9 0.9 1.0
Other (million cubic meters) 0.8 0.8 0.7
Greenhouse gases Origin of water
Total CO2e emissions intensity (g/$sales)1 120 117 120 Surface fresh water (million cubic meters) 20.4 19.7 21.3
Total CO2e emissions (000s tonnes) 1,635 1,585 1,515 Underground water (million cubic meters) 7.8 8.8 7.5
Within direct control Drinking water from municipal network (million cubic meters) 2.6 2.8 2.8
CO2e emissions from own operations (000s tonnes) 548 521 443 Recovered rain water (million cubic meters) 0.1 0.1 0.1
CO2 emissions from company vehicles (000s tonnes) 67 68 70
Within indirect control Wastewater effluents
CO2e emissions from purchased energy (000s tonnes) 355 330 353 Industrial wastewater discharge intensity (liters/$sales)1 0.71 0.67 0.72
CO2e emissions from business trips (000s tonnes)2 37 27 46 Industrial wastewater discharge (million cubic meters) 9.7 9.1 9.1
CO2 emissions from distribution (000s tonnes) 628 639 603 Total organic carbon (TOC) (tonnes) 573 490 499
Chemical oxygen demand (COD) (tonnes) 1,687 1,441 1,522
Other air emissions Biological oxygen demand (BOD) (tonnes) 194 162 154
Other air emissions intensity (g/$sales)1 0.066 0.066 0.070 Total suspended solids (tonnes) 277 451 252
Other air emissions (tonnes) 899 900 884 Soluble salts discharged (000s tonnes) 130 146 122
NOX (tonnes) 430 440 410 Direct discharge of uncontaminated cooling water (million cubic meters) 18.3 17.9 19.1
Non-halogenated VOCs (tonnes) 276 276 322
Halogenated VOCs (tonnes) 28 27 17
Particulates (tonnes) 115 105 88
SO2 (tonnes) 35 38 32
NH3 (tonnes) 4 4 5
HCl (tonnes) 11 10 10

1 2018 environmental intensity values were restated due to the restatement of Syngenta AG consolidated sales of 2018
2 Since 2019, the value includes all greenhouse gases and is expressed in CO2e. In previous years, only CO2 emissions were reported
7. Non-financial performance Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019 51

Sustainable operations continued Business integrity

Reporting period October 1 – September 30 2019 2018 2017 Reporting period October 1 – September 30 2019 2018 2017
Waste Corporate conduct
Hazardous waste intensity (g/$sales)1 14.7 13.9 14.3 Compliance cases reported1 251 299 215
Hazardous waste (000s tonnes) 200 189 181 Leaders engaged in leader-led compliance sessions2,3 3,113 3,108 2,263
Recycled and re-used (000s tonnes) 92 87 85 Completion rate2,3 92% 99% 95%
Incinerated (000s tonnes) 92 86 81 Employees in scope for Code of Conduct commitment3,4 21,887 – –
Landfill (000s tonnes) 1 1 1 Completion rate3,4 99% – –
Other (000s tonnes) 15 15 14
Hazardous waste by type Security management
Chemical 57% 57% 58% Sites included in Syngenta Security 360º Program 148 131 129
Solvents 37% 35% 36% Product Security cases 981 880 723
Other 6% 8% 6% Suspect counterfeit Crop Protection product seized by authorities (tonnes) 1,782 1,657 541
Non-hazardous waste intensity (g/$sales)1 9.7 11.0 9.4 Suspect counterfeit Seed product seized by authorities (tonnes) 1,817 196 93
Non-hazardous waste (000s tonnes) 132 149 119
Recycled and re-used (000s tonnes) 96 118 87 Animal testing compliance
Incinerated (000s tonnes) 6 6 4 Management system audits performed in contract laboratories 7 4 17
Landfill (000s tonnes) 20 17 19 Management system non-compliances found 0 0 0
Other (000s tonnes) 10 8 9
Non-hazardous waste by type Biotechnology and regulatory compliance
Plant and seed waste from seed sites 65% 68% 63% Employees completing field trial regulatory compliance training 1,984 1,140 1,426
Inerts 4% 7% 5% Field trial locations planted under country regulatory
Packaging materials 5% 4% 5% compliance programs5 475 434 299
Household 4% 4% 5%
Other 22% 17% 22% Economic value shared
Economic value shared ($m) 13,210 16,298 12,095
Environmental compliance Payments to suppliers 8,659 7,877 7,508
Significant unplanned releases2 5 0 0 Employee wages and benefits 2,847 2,755 3,099
Payments to governments (taxes)6 292 168 241
1 2018 environmental intensity values were restated due to the restatement of Syngenta AG consolidated sales of 2018
Payments to providers of capital 787 4,819 593
2 Since 2019, significant unplanned releases are those classified as high as per the International Council of Chemical Associations
(ICCA)’s standard for the reporting of Process Safety Incidents. In previous years, these releases were classified according to Capital expenditure 601 655 631
a Syngenta internal standard
Corporate community investment7 24 24 23

1 Since 2018, the number of cases reported includes all cases managed by Group Compliance: cases reported through the compliance
helpline, line management, directly to Group Compliance or other channels. In previous years, the value only included cases reported
via the helpline
2 2018 values were restated to represent all 2018 sessions
3 2019 values represent calendar year 2019
4 New KPIs introduced in 2019 to measure the commitment of leaders and employees to lead and represent Syngenta by our Code
of Conduct
5 Represents all trial locations covered by country specific regulatory compliance programs whether they require a permit or not
6 Consists of income and other taxes paid, excluding VAT (included in Payments to suppliers) and employment-related taxes (included
in Employee wages and benefits)
7 The PwC Independent Assurance Report includes in its scope only the Corporate community investment figure used in the calculation
of Economic value shared
52 Syngenta Sustainable Business Report 2019

Independent Criteria
The reporting criteria used by Syngenta are
A limited assurance engagement under ISAE
3000 (Revised) is substantially less in scope
UU Reviewing the documentation supporting
relevant data on a sample basis, including
Assurance Report described and disclosed on The Good Growth than a reasonable assurance engagement in management and reporting structures
Plan Progress Data website and in the internal relation to both the risk assessment procedures, and documentation;
on the non-financial reporting non-financial reporting guidelines. These define including an understanding of internal control,
those procedures based on the Standards of and the procedures performed in response to UU Reviewing the management and reporting
2019 to the Board of Directors
the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) published in the assessed risks. Consequently, the nature, processes. Assessing the consolidation
of Syngenta AG, Basel
2016, by which the non-financial performance timing and extent of procedures for gathering process of data at the group level.
We have been engaged to perform assurance data are internally gathered, collated sufficient appropriate evidence are deliberately
and aggregated. limited relative to a reasonable assurance We have not conducted any work on data other
procedures to provide limited assurance on the
engagement and therefore less assurance is than outlined in the subject matter as defined
non-financial performance summary of Syngenta
Inherent limitations obtained with a limited assurance engagement above. We believe that the evidence we have
AG, Basel, and its consolidated subsidiaries
The accuracy and completeness of non-financial than for a reasonable assurance engagement. obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide
(‘Syngenta’) included in the Sustainable Business
indicators are subject to inherent limitations The procedures selected depend on the a basis for our assurance conclusions.
Report 2019 (‘Report’).
given their nature and methods for determining, assurance practitioner’s judgement.
calculating and estimating such data. Conclusion
Scope and subject matter
Our assurance report should therefore be read Our independence and quality controls Based on our work performed on the identified
Our engagement focused on the following data
in connection with Syngenta’s reporting criteria We have complied with the independence Syngenta non-financial reporting 2019 nothing
and information for the year ended 31 December
(including guidelines, definitions and procedures and other ethical requirements of the Code of has come to our attention causing us to believe
2019 disclosed in the aggregated non-financial
on the reporting of its non-financial performance). Ethics for Professional Accountants issued by that in all material respects:
reporting of Syngenta:
the International Ethics Standards Board for UU The Good Growth Plan guidelines as
UU The application of the Syngenta reporting Syngenta’s responsibility Accountants, which is founded on fundamental published on The Good Growth Plan
guidelines for the non-financial reporting The Board of Directors of Syngenta AG is principles of integrity, objectivity, professional Progress Data website are not applied;
published on The Good Growth Plan responsible for both the subject matter and competence and due care, confidentiality and
Progress Data website; and the criteria as well as for selection, preparation professional behavior. UU The internal reporting systems to collect
and presentation of the selected information in and aggregate The Good Growth Plan and
UU The internal reporting system and procedures accordance with the criteria. This responsibility Our firm applies International Standard on other non-financial performance data are not
to collect and aggregate The Good Growth includes the design, implementation and Quality Control 1 and accordingly maintains functioning as designed and do not provide
Plan and other non-financial performance maintenance of related internal control relevant a comprehensive system of quality control an appropriate basis for the reporting on
data on pages 48 to 51; and to this reporting process that is free from material including documented policies and procedures pages 48 to 51; and
misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. regarding compliance with ethical requirements,
UU The data and information in the Non-financial
professional standards and applicable legal and UU The data and information disclosed in
performance summary, in all material aspects, Our responsibility regulatory requirements. the Non-financial performance summary
on pages 48 to 51, of the Report. Our responsibility is to perform a limited in the Report on pages 48 to 51 do
assurance engagement to express a conclusion Summary of the work performed not give a fair picture of Syngenta’s
Our assurance procedures do not cover the on positions in the related non-financial Our assurance procedures included, amongst non-financial performance.
indicators on payments to suppliers, employee performance summary on pages 48 to 51. others, the following work:
wages and benefits, payments to governments
PricewaterhouseCoopers AG
and providers of capital, and capital expenditure We planned and performed our procedures UU Evaluation of the application of
presented in the related Non-financial in accordance with the International Standard group guidelines;
performance summary on page 51 of the Report. on Assurance Engagements (ISAE 3000)
(Revised) ‘Assurance engagements other UU Visits of different sites and offices for various
We have not carried out any work on data than audits or reviews of historical financial areas in UK, Hungary and Spain selected
reported for prior reporting periods, nor have based on quantitative and qualitative criteria; Gerd Tritschler Konstantin Meier
information’. This standard requires that we
we performed work in respect of projections Zurich, 25 February 2020
plan and perform the assurance engagement UU Testing the specified performance indicators
and targets. to obtain limited assurance on the identified on a sample basis for evidence supporting
non-financial information prepared, in all material the Non-financial performance summary
aspects, in accordance with Syngenta’s policies relative to completeness, accuracy, adequacy
and procedures. and consistency;
Syngenta AG © 2020 Syngenta. All rights reserved.
P.O. Box
CH-4002 Basel Editorial completion: February 2020
Switzerland
Copywriting: Lang Communication, London, UK
Sustainability
Design and production: Radley Yeldar, London, UK
E sustainability.syngenta@syngenta.com
® Registered trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company
Media Relations
T +41 61 323 2323 ™ Trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company
F +41 61 323 2424
E media.relations@syngenta.com The SYNGENTA wordmark, the SYNGENTA logo,
THE GOOD GROWTH PLAN and BRINGING PLANT
Investor Relations POTENTIAL TO LIFE are trademarks of a Syngenta
T +41 61 323 2323 Group Company.
F +41 61 323 2424
E global.investor_relations@syngenta.com Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking
statements: This document contains forward-looking
Syngenta switchboard statements, which can be identified by terminology
T +41 61 323 1111 such as “expect”, “would”, “will”, “potential”, “plans”,
F +41 61 323 1212 “prospects”, “estimated”, “aiming”, “on track” and similar
expressions. Such statements may be subject to risks
www.syngenta.com and uncertainties that could cause the actual results
to differ materially from these statements.
For the business year 2019, Syngenta has published the Syngenta supports the 10 principles of the United Nations Through The Good Growth Plan, Syngenta supports the United
Sustainable Business Report 2019 which includes information Global Compact through an established commitment to Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Collectively, the
about our non-financial performance. It includes quantitative and sustainability and ongoing implementation of policies on human Plan’s six commitments contribute towards delivering the SDGs:
qualitative information on policies and actions taken regarding rights, fair labor, environmental protection and anti-corruption. all six commitments contribute directly to Goal 2 (zero hunger)
our business and sustainability goals. It also serves as our annual and Goal 17 (partnerships for sustainability), as well as individually
Communication on Progress (COP) for the United Nations towards a number of other goals.
Global Compact.

The Sustainable Business Report was originally published

in English.

This publication is available on the Internet: www.syngenta.com Read more on

sustainabledevelopment.un.org
For further information and answers
to many “Frequently Asked Questions”,
visit our corporate website: www.syngenta.com