Round Table on Responsible Soy and Bayer renew cooperation
Bayer and the civil society organization Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS) are renewing their successful cooperation of 2015 to help soy producers certify their crops according to RTRS standards. The non-exclusive agreement between Bayer and RTRS is complemented by Bayer’s Valore program in Latin America. RTRS Certification assures that soy, either as a raw material or as a by-product, originated from a process that is environmentally compatible, socially adequate and economically viable. In the last two years RTRS and Bayer have aligned communication, mobilized farmers to certify production and have started the certification process with several large cooperatives in Brazil.
Bayer’s Valore program offers soy producers a diagnosis visit, an action plan, training, a pre-audit visit, and facilitation of third-party auditing, measures which help soy producers reach the goals of producing soy with social and environmental responsibility. The cooperation has been focused on Brazil and will now be extended to Argentina and may also be extended to soy producers in other countries in Latin America in a next future stage.
“We are glad to partner again with RTRS, a thought leader setting important standards in the market of more sustainable soy. Bayer is committed to sustainable agriculture. We want to contribute to a production of soy which is environmentally, economically and socially responsible. Certification is one important tool to this end, and we encourage farmers to follow standards like RTRS”, said Bernd Naaf, Head of Business Affairs & Communications at Crop Science, a Division of Bayer.
“Bayer’s Valore program is a concrete contribution to help more farmers implement sustainable practices through RTRS certification,” said Marcelo Visconti, Executive Director of RTRS. “At the same time, by valuing the certification of crops, the company demonstrates that it understands the real value of more sustainable activities by their customers in the medium and long term. Bayer is clearly investing in more sustainable agriculture in the broadest sense. These important and concrete actions demonstrate Bayer’s commitment to responsible production and to the RTRS, of which it is a member.”
Bayer and RTRS will also continue to synergize their efforts to connect certified farmers with food companies in order to promote the responsible soy market. The aim is to further promote RTRS among food companies and to enhance the purchase of RTRS credits. Bayer AG is buying credits for the soy derivatives which it uses in its production processes. Bayer sees such credit purchases as a key instrument to incentivize the sustainable production of soy according to RTRS standards.
Bayer: Science For A Better Life
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the Life Science fields of health care and agriculture. Its products and services are designed to benefit people and improve their quality of life. At the same time, the Group aims to create value through innovation, growth and high earning power. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development and to its social and ethical responsibilities as a corporate citizen. In fiscal 2016, the Group employed around 99,600 people and had sales of EUR 34.9 billion. Capital expenditures amounted to EUR 2.2 billion, R&D expenses to EUR 4.4 billion. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.
