AgroPages-ADAMA's 2023 ESG Report: Significant launches of innovative, sustainable products and 14% carbon footprint reduction-Agricultural news

ADAMA Ltd. (SZSE 000553), a leading global crop protection company, published its 2023 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report. The report details the company’s commitment to transparency and incorporating several key standards from the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).

ADAMA maintains its commitment to the target of reducing Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by an average of 5% every year until 2030. The company has improved its rankings in several ratings agencies, receiving a ″Bronze medal″ from Ecovadis, which enables the company to join the Together for Sustainability community, an opportunity to drive tangible and measurable enhancements in various aspects of sustainability.

Steve Hawkins, President and CEO of ADAMA: ″Throughout 2023, we remained focused and resolute on implementing our sustainability strategy. We prioritized the safety and well-being of our employees, customers, and communities, while delivering solutions that increase farmer's crop productivity, limit their environmental impact, and reduce our own carbon footprint. Our teams accomplished this by effectively embedding sustainability into the core areas of our business and viewing it as an integrated part of our product development, innovation process, and stewardship efforts. I am proud of the work we do and of the innovation we bring to address some of the biggest challenges faced by farmers today.″

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Oriella Ben Zvi, Head of Sustainability and Corporate Affairs at ADAMA: ″The report marks a significant milestone in ADAMA's sustainability journey. Over recent years, we've continuously embedded sustainability into the core of our business strategy, operations, and decision-making processes. It showcases the collaborative efforts of ADAMA's teams in listening to the needs of farmers and customers, resulting in the development of an ever-growing number of innovative products that enhance farmer productivity while reducing their environmental impact. Our teams are always seeking to integrate new technologies to support both safer and more effective use of our products, and to make our operations more efficient, reducing our carbon footprint, water usage, and waste production. Moving forward, we will continue to strive for excellence, lead with purpose, and shape a company that we can all be proud of.″

2023 ESG highlights:

Launched 59 new products, including 34 herbicides, 12 insecticides, 12 fungicides and 1 plant growth regulator, featuring:

Unique formulation technologies with enhanced product features such as increased adhesiveness, rainfastness, and leaf penetration to reduce environmental impact.
Increased use of biodegradable components that bring specific beneficial sustainability characteristics.

Invested $342 million toward greener manufacturing operations over the past three years, including in wastewater reclamation and reuse, air quality and odor control, reduction of energy loss, and increase in renewable energy usage, resulting to:

A 14% reduction in the absolute carbon footprint.
10% of energy used is from renewable sources.
A 30% reduction in hazardous waste generation.

Reduced plastic usage in product containers and increased the use of recycled plastic.
Continued to develop and launch new sustainable products powered by advanced Formulation Technology Platforms - for example:

Araddo^® - a more sustainable herbicide that won the prestigious Best Formulation Innovation at the HIS Markit Crop Science Forum and Awards.
Apresa^® - a sustainability-first product with minimal carry-over and exceptionally high safety standards, using ADAMA’s proprietary TOV formulation technology.
Feralla^® - a low-dose molluscicide derived from natural minerals and circular economy ingredients.
Biological solutions such as Actavan^®, a biological fungicide based on plant extracts that stimulate the plant’s immune system to effectively prevent fruit rot.

Continued investing in employees development – More than 60% of ADAMA’s people use its online learning platforms in over 25 languages; more than 30% of all open positions were filled internally.
Promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) – Updated the company’s DE&I policy and launched multiple new initiatives and educational activities with hundreds of participants.
Proactively invested in our people’s safety through more than 1,000 site manager safety tours and hundreds of local safety programs in each manufacturing site; significant improvement in both leading and lagging safety indicators.
Presided over $2.1 million in community donations and approximately 4,900 volunteer hours (in Israel) during 2023 - running dozens of educational and social programs throughout ADAMA’s regions globally.