GRI Index
Global Reporting Initiative Index
GRI Index: Profile
The following content index is provided in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines. It shows where this report has provided information regarding the GRI indicators.
1 Strategy And Analysis
Statement from the most senior decision maker of the organization about the relevance of sustainability to the organization and its strategy.
Statement from CEO
2 Organizational Profile
Monsanto Company
Company website at www.monsanto.com/products
2012 Form 10-K (pages 5-7) at www.monsanto.com/investors/Documents/ Annual%20Report/2012/2012-10K.pdf
Operational structure of the organization, including main divisions, operating companies,subsidiaries and joint ventures.
2012 Form 10-K (pages 5-7 and Exhibit 21) at www.monsanto.com/investors/ Documents/Annual%20Report/2012/2012-10K.pdf
St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Number of countries where the organization operates, and names of countries with either major operations or that are specifically relevant to the sustainability issues covered in the report.
Company website at www.monsanto.com/whoweare/Pages/our-locations.aspx
2012 Form 10-K (page 12) at www.monsanto.com/investors/Documents/ Annual%20Report/2012/2012-10K.pdf
Company website at www.monsanto.com/whoweare/Pages/ certificate-of-incorporation.aspx
Markets served (including geographic breakdown, sectors served and types of customers beneficiaries).
Company website at www.monsanto.com/whoweare/Pages/our-locations.aspx
2012 Form 10-K (page 12) at www.monsanto.com/investors/Documents/ Annual%20Report/2012/2012-10K.pdf
2012 Form 10-K (Note 27, page 89-90) at www.monsanto.com/investors/ Documents/Annual%20Report/2012/2012-10K.pdf
2012 Form 10-K (page 8) at www.monsanto.com/investors/Documents/ Annual%20Report/2012/2012-10K.pdf
2012 Form 10-K (pages 40-42) at www.monsanto.com/investors/Documents/ Annual%20Report/2012/2012-10K.pdf
Significant changes during the reporting period regarding size, structure or ownership.
2012 Form 10-K (page 19-29) www.monsanto.com/investors/Documents/ Annual%20Report/2012/2012-10K.pdf
Commitments
3 Report Parameters
Report Profile
Fiscal year 2011 (year ended August 31, 2012), except where noted
June 2011
Annual
CSRSReport.team@monsanto.com
Report Scope And Boundary
Iterative, involving senior management
Commitments
Boundary of the report (e.g., countries, divisions, subsidiaries, leased facilities, joint ventures, suppliers).
Global owned and leased facilities
Environmental Performance
Basis for reporting on joint ventures, subsidiaries, leased facilities, outsourced operations, and other entities that can significantly affect comparability from period to period and/or between organizations.
We do not anticipate the basis for this report to affect comparability for subsequent years.
Data measurement techniques and the bases of calculations, including assumptions and techniques underlying estimations applied to the compilation of the Indicators and other information in the report.
Explanation of the effect of any re-statements of information provided in earlier reports, and the reasons for such re-statement (e.g., mergers acquisitions, change of base years/periods, nature of business, measurement methods).
There have been no restatements of information provided in earlier reports.
Significant changes from previous reporting periods in the scope, boundary or measurement methods applied in the report.
The scope of environmental reporting expanded to include Seeds & Traits operations. See Environmental Performance
Gri Content Index
assurance
Policy and current practice with regard to seeking external assurance for the report. If not included in the assurance report accompanying the sustainability report, explain the scope and basis of any external assurance provided. Also explain the relationship between the reporting organization and the assurance provider(s).
Approach to assurance
4 governance, commitments and engagement
governance
Governance structure of the organization, including committees under the highest governance body responsible for specific tasks, such as setting strategy or organizational oversight.
Company website at www.monsanto.com/whoweare/Pages/ corporate-governance.aspx
2012 Proxy Statement (pages 6-20) at www.monsanto.com/investors/Documents/ Annual%20Report/2012/monsanto-company-2012-proxy-statement.pdf
Indicate whether the Chair of the highest governance body is also an executive officer (and, if so, their function within the organization’s management and the reasons for this arrangement).
Company website at http://www.monsanto.com/whoweare/Pages/ board-of-directors-leadership-roles.aspx
2012 Proxy Statement (page 9) at www.monsanto.com/investors/Documents/ Annual%20Report/2012/monsanto-company-2012-proxy-statement.pdf
For organizations that have a unitary board structure, state the number and gender of members of the highest governance body that are independent and/or non-executive members.
2012 Proxy Statement (pages 7-8) at www.monsanto.com/investors/Documents/ Annual%20Report/2012/monsanto-company-2012-proxy-statement.pdf
Mechanisms for shareholders and employees to provide recommendations or direction to the highest governance body.
Company website at www.monsanto.com/whoweare/Pages/ ContactOurDirectors.aspx
2012 Proxy Statement (pages 12 and 77) at www.monsanto.com/investors/Documents/ Annual%20Report/2012/monsanto-company-2012-proxy-statement.pdf
Linkage between compensation for members of the highest governance body, senior managers, and executives (including departure arrangements), and the organization’s performance (including social and environmental performance).
A significant portion of our executives’ compensation is tied to company annual and longer-term performance. Financial performance measures key to growing our business and delivering value to our shareowners are included in our compensation plans. In addition, focus on leading efforts in sustainable agriculture and maintaining a talented and diverse workforce are two examples of key drivers of our long-term growth that are considered when determining individual annual incentive awards.
2012 Proxy Statement (pages 30-37) at www.monsanto.com/investors/Documents/ Annual%20Report/2012/monsanto-company-2012-proxy-statement.pdf
Processes in place for the highest governance body to ensure conflicts of interest are avoided.
Monsanto Code of Ethics: http://www.monsanto.com/whoweare/Pages/business-conduct.aspx
Proxy Statement (pages 6,10-12) at www.monsanto.com/investors/ Documents/Annual%20Report/2012/monsanto-company-2012-proxy-statement.pdf
Process for determining the composition, qualifications and expertise of the members of the highest governance body and its committees, including any consideration of gender and other indicators of diversity.
2012 Proxy Statement (page 8 and Appendix B) at www.monsanto.com/investors/ Documents/Annual%20Report/2012/monsanto-company-2012-proxy-statement.pdf
Internally developed statements of mission or values, codes of conduct and principles relevant to economic, environmental and social performance and the status of their implementation.
Procedures of the highest governance body for overseeing the organization’s identification and management of economic, environmental and social performance, including relevant risks and opportunities, and adherence or compliance with internationally agreed standards, codes of conduct and principles.
2012 Proxy Statement (Description of board level Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Committee page 21) at www.monsanto.com/investors/Documents/ Annual%20Report/2012/monsanto-company-2012-proxy-statement.pdf
Processes for evaluating the highest governance body’s own performance, particularly with respect to economic, environmental and social performance.
2012 Proxy Statement (Description of Board Self-Assessment page 7) at www.monsanto.com/investors/Documents/Annual%20Report/2012/ monsanto-company-2012-proxy-statement.pdf
commitments to external initiatives
Explanation of whether and how the precautionary approach or principle is addressed by the organization.
As a Member of the UN Global Compact, Monsanto incorporates the precautionary approach in its product planning.
Externally developed economic, environmental, and social charters, principles or other initiatives to which the organization subscribes or endorses.
Memberships in associations (such as industry associations) and/or national/international advocacy organizations in which the organization has positions in governance bodies; participates in projects or committees; provides substantive funding beyond routine membership dues; or views membership as strategic.
Commitments
Food & Nutrition
Environment
- Our Partners Make Us Better
- The CTIC – A Thirty-Year Commitment to Conservation
- Roundup Ready Plus® — A New Weed Management Approach
- Climate Change and the Impact on Food Security
- World Business Council for Sustainable Development
- Field to Market
- The Sustainability Consortium
- Water Advocacy and Partnerships
- Mississippi River Watershed Partnership
stakeholder engagement
Commitments
Approaches to stakeholder engagement, including frequency of engagement by type and by stakeholder group.
Key topics and concerns that have been raised through stakeholder engagement, and how the organization has responded to those key topics and concerns, including through its reporting.
Commitments
STaNdaRd dISCLoSuReS: pERFoRmaNCE INdICaToRs
5 Economic
economic performance
Direct economic value generated and distributed, including revenues, operating costs, employee compensation, donations and other community investments, retained earnings and payments to capital providers and governments.
2012 Form 10-K (pages 40-91) at www.monsanto.com/investors/Documents/ Annual%20Report/2012/2012-10K.pdf
Financial implications and other risks and opportunities for the organization’s activities due to climate change.
2012 Form 10-K (Note 18) at www.monsanto.com/investors/Documents/ Annual%20Report/2012/2012-10K.pdf
2012 Proxy Statement (pages 59-62) at www.monsanto.com/investors/ Documents/Annual%20Report/2012/monsanto-company-2012-proxy-statement.pdf
Non-disclosed
market presence
Range of ratios of standard entry level wage by gender compared to local minimum wage at significant locations of operation.
Non-disclosed
Policy, practices, and proportion of spending on locally based suppliers at significant locations of operation.
Environment
Procedures for local hiring and proportion of senior management hired from the local community at locations of significant operation.
Non-disclosed
indirect economic impacts
Development and impact of infrastructure investments and services provided primarily for public benefit through commercial, in-kind, or pro bono engagement.
Food & Nutrition
- Partnering for African Agriculture
- Water Efficient Maize for Africa (partial)
- Transferring Knowledge to the Developing World
Communities
- Monsanto Fund (partial)
- Invest and Acre (partial)
Understanding and describing significant indirect economic impacts, including the extent of impacts.
5 environmental
Commitments
- Progress on Our Commitment to Sustainable Agriculture
- Our Commitment to Sustainable Agriculture
- Proud to Be Our Neighbor’s Keeper
Food & Nutrition
Environment
materials
Environment
- EcoEfficiency Data on Crop Protection (partial)
Non-disclosed
energy
Environment
Environment
Initiatives to provide energy-efficient or renewable energy based products and services, and reductions in energy requirements as a result of these initiatives.
Commitments
Environment
- Sustainable Operations – A New Way to Produce
- Sustainable Manufacturing Footprint Efficiency Projects
- Global Procurement Responsible Buyers
- Our Partners Make Us Better
- Cover Crops and Soil Health
- The CTIC – A Thirty-Year Commitment to Conservation
- Roundup Ready PLUS® — A New Weed Management Approach
- FieldscriptsTM Program – The Prescription for Increasing Yields
- World Business Council For Sustainable Development
water
Environment
biodiversity
Location and size of land owned, leased, managed in, or adjacent to, protected areas and areas of high biodiversity value outside protected areas.
Description of significant impacts of activities, products and services on biodiversity in protected areas and areas of high biodiversity value outside protected areas.
Commitments
Environment
Communities
Commitments
Environment
Communities
Strategies, current actions and future plans for managing impacts on biodiversity.
Commitments
Environment
Communities
Number of IUCN Red List species and national conservation list species with habitats in areas affected by operations, by level of extinction risk.
Non-disclosed
emissions, effluents and waste
Environment
Non-disclosed
Environment
Environment
Environment
Environment
Weight of transported, imported, exported, or treated waste deemed hazardous under the terms of the Basel Convention Annex I, II, III, and VIII, and percentage of transported waste shipped internationally.
Non-disclosed
Identity, size, protected status, and biodiversity value of water bodies and related habitats significantly affected by the reporting organization’s discharges of water and runoff.
Non-disclosed
products and services
Initiatives to mitigate environmental impacts of products and services, and extent of impact mitigation.
Commitments
Food & Nutrition
Environment
- Sustainable Manufacturing Footprint Efficiency Projects
- Monsanto Adds Agricultural Biologicals to R&D Pipeline
- Cover Crops and Soil Health
- FieldscriptsTM Program – The Prescription for Increasing Yields
- Case Studies
- Our Water-Focused Research and Development
Communities
Percentage of products sold and their packaging materials that are reclaimed by category.
Environment
compliance
Monetary value of significant fines and total number of non-monetary sanctions for non-compliance with environmental laws and regulations.
Environment
transport
Significant environmental impacts of transporting products and other goods and materials used for the organization’s operations, and transporting members of the workforce.
Non-disclosed
overall
Non-disclosed
5 labor practices and decent work
employment
Total workforce by employment type, employment contract and region, broken down by gender.
Commitments
- Our People: By the Numbers (partial)
Total number and rate of new employee hires and employee turnover by age group, gender and region
Benefits provided to full-time employees that are not provided to temporary or part-time employees, by significant locations of operation.
Non-disclosed
Non-disclosed
labor/management relations
Communities
Minimum notice period(s) regarding operational changes, including whether it is specified in collective agreements.
Non-disclosed
occupational health and safety
Percentage of total workforce represented in formal joint management–worker health and safety committees that help monitor and advise on occupational health and safety programs.
Commitments
Rates of injury, occupational diseases, lost days and absenteeism, and total number of work-related fatalities, by region and by gender.
Commitments
Education, training, counseling, prevention and risk-control programs in place to assist workforce members, their families or community members regarding serious diseases.
Commitments
Non-disclosed
training and education
Average hours of training per year per employee by gender, and by employee category.
Commitments
Communities
Programs for skills management and lifelong learning that support the continued employability of employees and assist them in managing career endings.
Commitments
Percentage of employees receiving regular performance and career development reviews, by gender.
Commitments
diversity and equal opportunity
Composition of governance bodies and breakdown of employees per employee category according to gender, age group, minority group membership and other indicators of diversity.
Commitments
equal remuneration for women and men
Ratio of basic salary and remuneration of women to men by employee category, by significant locations of operation.
Non-disclosed
5 human rights
investment and procurement practices
Percentage and total number of significant investment agreements and contracts that include clauses incorporating human rights concerns, or that have undergone human rights screening.
Communities
Percentage of significant suppliers, contractors, and other business partners that have undergone human rights screening, and actions taken.
Communities
Total hours of employee training on policies and procedures concerning aspects of human rights that are relevant to operations, including the percentage of employees trained.
Commitments
Communities
non-descrimination
Communities
freedom of association and collective bargaining
Operations and significant suppliers identified in which the right to exercise freedom of association and collective bargaining may be violated or at significant risk, and actions taken to support these rights.
Communities
child labor
Operations and significant suppliers identified as having significant risk for incidents of child labor, and measures taken to contribute to the effective abolition of child labor.
Communities
forced and compulsory labor
Operations and significant suppliers identified as having significant risk for incidents of forced or compulsory labor, and measures to contribute to the elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labor.
Communities
security practices
Percentage of security personnel trained in the organization’s policies or procedures concerning aspects of human rights that are relevant to operations.
Communities
All employees, including security officers, are trained in Monsanto’s human rights policies.
indigenous rights
Total number of incidents of violations involving rights of indigenous people and actions taken.
Communities
assessment
Percentage and total number of operations that have been subject to human rights reviews and/or impact assessments.
Communities
remediation
Number of grievances related to human rights filed, addressed and resolved through formal grievance mechanisms.
Communities
5 society
local communities
Percentage of operations with implemented local community engagement, impact assessments and development programs.
Communities
- Our Commitment to the Communities of the World
- Kenya’s Gold Finger Women
- Monsanto Fund
- Invest an Acre
- Bollgard® Cotton Helps Build Communities
- Improving Farmers’ Lives
- Bringing Farmers What They Need Most: Timely and Customized Information
- Project Share
- Monsanto’s Human Rights Progress
- Challenge: Blackfoot River Watershed
Operations with significant potential or actual negative impacts on local communities.
Non-disclosed
Prevention and mitigation measures implemented in operations with significant potential or actual negative impacts on local communities.
Communities
corruption
Percentage and total number of business units analyzed for risks related to corruption.
Commitments
Percentage of employees trained in organization’s anti-corruption policies and procedures.
Commitments
Commitments
public policy
Public policy positions and participation in public policy development and lobbying.
Commitments
Total value of financial and in-kind contributions to political parties, politicians and related institutions by country.
Commitments
Company website at www.monsanto.com/whoweare/Pages/ political-disclosures.aspx
anti-competitive behavior
Total number of legal actions for anti-competitive behavior, anti-trust and monopoly practices and their outcomes.
Non-disclosed
compliance
Monetary value of significant fines and total number of non-monetary sanctions for non-compliance with laws and regulations.
Non-disclosed
5 product responsibility
customer health and safety
Life cycle stages in which health and safety impacts of products and services are assessed for improvement, and percentage of significant products and services categories subject to such procedures.
Commitments
Total number of incidents of non-compliance with regulations and voluntary codes concerning health and safety impacts of products and services during their life cycle, by type of outcomes.
Non-disclosed
product and service labeling
Type of product and service information required by procedures, and percentage of significant products and services subject to such information requirements.
Food & Nutrition
Total number of incidents of non-compliance with regulations and voluntary codes concerning product and service information and labeling, by type of outcomes.
Non-disclosed
Practices related to customer satisfaction, including results of surveys measuring customer satisfaction.
Non-disclosed
marketing communications
Programs for adherence to laws, standards and voluntary codes related to marketing communications, including advertising, promotion and sponsorship.
Total number of incidents of non-compliance with regulations and voluntary codes concerning marketing communications, including advertising, promotion and sponsorship by type of outcomes.
Non-disclosed
customer privacy
Total number of substantiated complaints regarding breaches of customer privacy and losses of customer data.
Non-disclosed
compliance
Monetary value of significant fines for non compliance with laws and regulations concerning the provision and use of products and services.
Non-disclosed