Stakeholder engagement
We continuously engage with stakeholders around the world to shape our understanding of the corporate responsibility (CR) issues we must address in our everyday business. We listen to our stakeholders, try to respond to their concerns, and report on our performance annually in our Annual Review and this online CR section.
Our stakeholders are the people who can affect our business or who are
affected by it. They include the following groups:
- Growers
- Industry
- Non-governmental organizations and international agencies
- Investors
- Employees
- Government
- Multi-stakeholder engagement
Growers
We encourage farmers to use our products appropriately in conjunction
with sustainable farming practices, and provide training to help them
do so. Our marketing and sales practices are tailored to address grower
needs at a local level. This approach helps us to ensure that growers
can make the most of the benefits our products offer by improving yields
and crop quality.
To find out more about how we communicate with growers on these issues
see
benefits for rural communities and visit our local websites
Industry
We participate in associations and initiatives which bring together stakeholders
from within the industry. These include:
- The World Business Council for Sustainable Development
- CropLife
- International Chamber of Commerce
- Biotechnology Industry Organisation (BIO)
Non-governmental
organizations and international agencies
NGOs represent the views of many public stakeholder groups. We work in
partnership with NGOs around the world to research and promote modern,
innovative farming practices for resource efficient and environmentally
responsible agriculture, and to encourage safe use of our products.
Our engagement with NGOs is detailed throughout this CR section. Examples include working with the conservation organization Earthwatch to promote sustainable farming practices (see conserving biodiversity) and with the Fair Labor Association to monitor and improve labor standards on seed farms in India (see supply chain).
We work closely with the World Health Organization to prevent misuse
of crop protection products. See secure
storage.
Investors
We continously communicate with current and potential investors
through individual and group meetings, results presentations and site
visits. See Investor relations.
Employees
We foster open and direct communication throughout the organization. Employees
have the opportunity to provide feedback to the company through a number
of channels. Our Voice of Syngenta survey helps us monitor employee engagement
and identify areas where we can improve. We respond to feedback from employees
at a local level. For more information, see
employee engagement.
Government
We believe we have a duty to put forward our views on the political and
social issues that affect us and the communities in which we operate.
Syngenta welcomes the increasing recognition from international organizations
and governments that their policy objectives can be met through cooperation
with the private sector. We strongly believe that success in achieving
ambitious targets such as the Millennium Development Goals hinge on the
willingness of all stakeholders to work with each other.
Syngenta works with a range of government authorities and other stakeholders
on national issues including agricultural policy, intellectual property,
investment and tax. We also work with international legislators and bodies
such as the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) on international
policy regarding biodiversity, and economic and agricultural development.
Multi-stakeholder engagement
Many of the issues which affect Syngenta are also of interest to a wide
range of other groups. Broad collaboration with other stakeholders will
help us find the most sustainable solutions. To widen our engagement we
actively participate in several multi-stakeholder forums, including the
Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels, an initiative of the University of
Lausanne, and the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. See biofuels
and conservation
agriculture.
Syngenta collaborates with the European Landowners’ Organization to run the Forum on the Future of Agriculture Annual Conference. Together, we have created the Forum to discuss how to meet global challenges, such as feeding a growing world population, demand for a higher quality diet and increased demand for renewable sources of energy, as well as changing weather patterns. The Forum aims to work with a range of stakeholders to shape the development of European agricultural and environmental policy.
