When it comes to our sustainability initiatives, our people have moved forward and achieved what we think are big steps in the right direction. And while we’ve got more to do, our search has led us to look not just at our business, but also at every aspect of our global supply chain. If we are truly serious about conserving more by reducing the amount of land, water and energy needed to grow crops, then that vision should also translate into all of our decisions across our operations. That’s why in 2012 we began looking closely at our global procurement program.

Procurement is the management and operation of attaining raw materials, goods and services for a business. We think that a sustainability platform within our supply chain is a must-do as we move forward. Just think what Monsanto could accomplish if we used our buying power to drive continuous improvement in our supply chain.  To put it simply, we need to be responsible buyers.

It’s not an easy process. It requires a diligent search of not only our direct suppliers, but also of our suppliers’ suppliers as well. It’s a significant investment of both time and resources, but we feel it’s an investment that needs to be done to ensure our global footprint is reduced.

We’re early in the process, but our global procurement team drafted a mission platform that outlines exactly what we hope to attain:

Our Mission is to improve lives by holding ourselves and our suppliers responsible and accountable to achieve sustainability excellence within our environmental, economic and social scope through unwavering commitment to sustainability excellence and by leveraging our global spend.

This means not just in our manufacturing and delivery of seeds, but in almost every purchase we make. We need to work with our suppliers and make sure they are on the same page when it comes to sustainability. We hope to lead the agricultural industry and demonstrate a responsible way to do business that puts sustainability first.