Our ambition is to be the most collaborative and trusted team in agriculture. Syngenta is a responsible corporate citizen, has clear and binding governance structures and is actively engaging with a great variety of different stakeholders.
Our business
Syngenta Group is one of the world’s leading agricultural technology and innovation companies, with roots going back more than 250 years. Its 49,000 people across more than 100 countries strive to transform agriculture through breakthrough products and technologies that play a vital role in enabling the food chain to feed the world safely, sustainably and with respect for our planet. Swiss-based and Chinese-owned, the group draws strength from its four business units – Syngenta Crop Protection headquartered in Switzerland, Syngenta Seeds headquartered in the United States, ADAMA® headquartered in Israel, and Syngenta Group China – that provide industry-leading ways to serve customers everywhere.
We aim to be the most collaborative and trusted team in agriculture, creating long-term, sustainable value for customers, employees and people around the world. As the most geographically and culturally diverse business in the field, Syngenta Group is well positioned to provide farmers with the best technology and expertise to increase productivity and grow healthy, affordable and sustainable food.
Read more about Syngenta Group and The Good Growth Plan
Syngenta Group’s Good Growth Plan puts the urgent fight against climate change and biodiversity loss at the heart of farming’s productive future and the global economic recovery.
When we first launched The Good Growth Plan in 2013, we set six hard, stretch targets to be met by 2020 – and we achieved most of them early.
In June 2020, we made new global commitments to reduce agriculture’s carbon footprint and to help farmers deal with the extreme weather patterns caused by climate change. Among our ambitious goals we are:
- accelerating our innovation to provide solutions for farmers. Our target is to invest $2bn in sustainable agriculture breakthroughs by 2025 and to deliver two sustainable technology breakthroughs each year.
- striving for carbon neutral agriculture, both on farms and in our operations. We remain committed to enhance biodiversity and soil health on 3 million hectares of rural land every year, which we will do by providing technologies, services, and training to farmers.
- committed to reducing the carbon intensity of our operations by 50% by 2030 to support the goals of the Paris Agreement. Our commitment had been validated and endorsed by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
- reinforcing our commitment to help people stay safe and healthy by training 8 million farm workers on safe use every year and striving for fair labor across our entire supply chain.
We can only achieve our ambitious targets in partnership and in open dialogue about the value of agriculture innovation for farmers, nature and society, supported by strong Board level governance of sustainability.
Syngenta, along with the industry, has been contributing to the sustainable intensification of agriculture around the world for many years. We welcome and support the call for intensified, cross-sectorial multi-stakeholder collaboration made through the SDGs in order to achieve progress. Private sector initiatives and partnerships play a crucial role in achieving many of the targets set in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In a world where a growing population needs more food and where preserving natural resources is a basic requirement, agricultural technology can have a substantial and measurable impact.
Through the commitments set out in The Good Growth Plan and the progress made, Syngenta demonstrates active support for many of the SDGs, especially in the field of how to sustainably grow crops, reduce hunger, alleviate poverty, conserve biodiversity and restore degraded land.
Find out more about the contribution we make to the SDGs on our website and in our ESG Report.
Corporate governance
Syngenta Group is committed to operating at the highest standards of ethics and integrity. This is a commitment that we are making to investors, customers, society and employees.
Integrity and ethics are guiding principles for Syngenta Group and vital to our business and to making us a trusted partner.
We are committed to responsibly managing all our activities from product invention to use and disposal.
The Syngenta Group Leadership Team is responsible for the active leadership and the operative management of Group’s businesses. It consists of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), the President of Global Crop Protection, the President of Global Seeds, the Chief Human Resources Officers and the Group General Counsel.
The compensation provided to the CEO and the other members of the Syngenta Group Leadership Team consists of base salary and allowances, short-term and long-term incentives in cash, as well as pension, insurance and other benefits.
For Syngenta Group Leadership Team members, all variable compensation is subject to performance measures. The short-term incentive (STI) plan rewards short-term performance.
The financial award is based on financial targets set at the beginning of each year as part of the annual budgeting process. The personal award is based on individual priorities set at the beginning of each year as part of the performance management process.
An STI payment is triggered when the EBITDA achievement at line of sight is more than 80%. When EBITDA achievement at line of sight is below 80%, there is no STI payment.
The payout is based on an additive approach.
The regular Long-Term Incentive Plan is a three-year cash incentive plan aligning participants behind common performance measures and our shareholder’s interest. The purpose of the plan is to:
- Reward leadership and outperformance by providing a cash-based incentive that links participants’ compensation to the delivery of company-wide performance measures.
- Focus participants on sustainable value creation.
- Reinforce collective leadership and an enterprise mindset.
- Motivate, engage and retain participants.
The vesting of the awards at the end of the three-year vesting period is dependent on the achievement of pre-determined financial and non-financial targets.
The Syngenta Group Launch LTI Plan is a 7-year plan that consists of two parts (Part A and Part B), and is funded by a percentage of the absolute Syngenta Group EBITDA created, and incentivizes:
- operational performance measured by EBITDA improvements and sustainable EBITDA growth, and
- after IPO, company value improvements by share price development up to ten years
Part A incentivizes annual EBITDA increases above latest set record with an immediate payout in the year after the Performance Year.
Part B incentivizes sustainable EBITDA growth by cash payment (before IPO) or converted into Phantom Shares (after IPO), both released gradually over three years.
The Board of Directors provides strategic direction regarding all sustainability matters and exercises oversight over the Group Leadership Team in this respect.
The Group Leadership Team oversees business sustainability-related standards, strategy, objectives and partnerships. It reviews and advises on the effectiveness of implementation of internal policies. Each member is responsible for embedding sustainability in her/his area of responsibility.
The Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO), reporting to the CEO, leads the Business Sustainability function. This function coordinates and channels sustainability initiatives, performance management and policy engagements, and monitors the sustainability performance. The CSO provides regular sustainability updates to the Group Leadership Team and the Board of Directors.
Risk management
Every leader and employee is responsible for managing risks and taking accountability for their actions. Business continuity plans define roles, responsibilities and authority in the event of emergency situations or disruptions. Such plans include feedback loops, making sure lessons learned are an integral part of Syngenta Group’s risk management culture.
Risk management in Syngenta Group is largely integrated into normal management processes. Its underlying principles include:
- Identifying risks which may harm the delivery of the strategy and operational objectives
- Evaluating and assessing the risks with focus on key and critical risks
- Defining appropriate plans to mitigate the key risks
- Preventing and limiting disruptions to critical business processes and activities such as in case of emergencies and crises
- Monitoring and reviewing risk profiles on a regular basis
- Communicating the risk profiles and status of risk activities as agreed by the leadership teams and the business
Our Board of Directors and the Syngenta Group Leadership Team have overall responsibility for risk management and regularly discuss the key risks of the company and review the corresponding risk profiles. Syngenta Integrated Assurance consisting of Compliance, Risk Management, Internal Audit, and Health, Safety and Environment convene periodically further to support and align the assurance activities and overview common risks. Group Risk Management ensures and maintains the risk management framework and supports the business in risk policy implementation.
The diverse environmental and social aspects are considered within our risk management frame, both influencing strategic decisions at Group level as well as operational matters.
Examples include:
- Risks associated with climate change
- New technologies and strategies responding to changing grower and societal needs
- Environmental damages and liabilities
- Ethical business practices
- Adverse macro-economic situations and population developments
- National or regional insecurity
Corporate conduct
The Syngenta Group Code of Conduct is a key part of our compliance framework. It demonstrates our commitment to build and maintain trust in Syngenta and to integrate business, social and environmental responsibilities in everything we do.
The Syngenta Group Code of Conduct was launched in June 2020 and is based on the Syngenta Code of Conduct developed in consultation with leading business ethics and human rights organizations such as the Institute for Business Ethics, the International Business Leaders Forum, and the Danish Institute for Human Rights.
The Code covers the following key topics: law, business integrity, society, people and science, products, and property rights.
Everyone working for Syngenta Group must adhere to the Syngenta Group Code of Conduct. The same standards of ethics and integrity apply to third parties working for or on behalf of Syngenta.
The Syngenta Group Code of Conduct sets out clearly the standards different stakeholders can expect from Syngenta on a range of relevant and important issues. The Code is supported by detailed policies, standards and guidelines such as:
- Anti-Fraud Policy – defines the way we prevent or report any form of fraud (or attempted fraud) across our business
- Anti-Bribery Policy – establishes our approach to engaging in ethical business negotiations across all levels of our organization
- Securities Trading Policy – defines the rules and procedures associated with trading while in possession of material information that is not publicly available
- Gifts and Entertainment Policy – provides clear guidance to our people on their responsibilities regarding corporate gifts and entertainment
- Competition Law Policy – defines the principles of antitrust and competition law and establishes our expectations for ensuring these principles are upheld
- HSE Policy and Standards – set out the standards of Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) expected throughout Syngenta, and outlines what needs to be done to achieve them
- Syngenta Labor Standards – define our approach to labor rights, including contractual working conditions, freedom of association and collective bargaining. All of our policies are binding for Syngenta employees and external contractors and stakeholders who engage with Syngenta.
We encourage our employees to raise any compliance concern to their line manager, our Legal, Compliance or Human Resources teams or through our confidential compliance helpline.
We take every concern seriously and investigate each one in line with our policies. We do not tolerate any form of retaliation against an employee who has reported a suspected compliance violation in good faith, nor will we tolerate any deliberately abusive accusations.
Syngenta Group may engage in political advocacy and debate on subjects that advance the Group's goals, support our customers, partners and industry, and improve the communities where we work and live.
We maintain strict internal control of lobbying activities and conduct them in full compliance with local law and guided by honesty, completeness, respect, accuracy of information and transparency.
Any lobbying activities carried out by appointed external agencies or through our industry associations must be guided by the same principles that apply for Syngenta Group.
Read more in our ESG Report (p.86)
Human Rights
Our Code of Conduct sets out our commitment to comply with all labor laws, national and international codes and conventions, and to uphold the principles set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) Core Conventions. Syngenta is a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact, endorsing the 10 universal principles covering human rights, labor, the environment and anti-corruption.
Syngenta is a member of the Global Business Initiative on Human Rights -- a coalition of companies working together to develop good practices and sharing experiences as well as outreach in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. We also work with the Institute for Human Rights and Business, which is a global center of excellence and expertise on the relationship between business and human rights.
Our Code of Conduct, which employees, contractors and suppliers must adhere to, ensures that everyone working for Syngenta respects human rights. It was developed in consultation with the Institute for Business Ethics and the International Business Leaders Forum and informed by a risk analysis conducted by the Danish Institute for Human Rights.
Syngenta promotes employee empowerment and human rights protection and seeks dialogue with our employees and their representatives (Works Councils, Labor Unions) based on our labor standards.
Syngenta expects third parties to conduct business in a legal and ethical manner. Our minimum requirements on labor and human rights are integrated in all supplier contracts.
Our business also has an important contribution to make to support human rights through the role of our products in improving food security, access to water, farmers’ livelihoods, and rural development.
As a member of the Global Business Initiative on Human Rights, we are working with other companies and organizations to ensure our approach remains current and understand how best to implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
Read more in our ESG Report (p. 71)
As part of The Good Growth Plan, we have committed to strive for fair labor conditions throughout our entire supply chain network. Syngenta applies fair labor standards and labor laws throughout our operations on farms and in production plants and we expect our suppliers to do the same. We have strict contractual requirements, such as prohibiting child labor, and help suppliers meet our standards through training.
Animal research
We use animal studies only when necessary and aim to develop alternative techniques that replace and reduce the use of animals. However, in many countries, legislation requires animal testing to ensure products are safe to humans and the environment. We have no laboratories that undertake animal studies, but we do sub-contract such work. We only use contract laboratories that meet the highest standards for animal care, and we audit them to ensure these standards are consistently applied.
Our commitment to complying with all applicable laws, and to replacing and reducing the use of animals is clearly expressed in the Syngenta Group Code of Conduct.
The "Syngenta Animal Welfare Policy" sets standards that apply to animal studies carried out by third party contractors on behalf of Syngenta. The Syngenta Animal Ethical Review Committee (SAERC) is responsible for ensuring compliance with this policy and mandated legal and regulatory requirements.
We also require that Syngenta Group managers initiating animal work sign an annual Letter of Assurance that the Policy and Commitments have been complied with in the facilities performing the studies. This letter provides an assurance that both the facilities used and the study protocols are compliant.
We expect our contract laboratories to have management systems in place that are consistent with our Policy and Commitments to the care and use of animals in research and development.
Engagement activities
We engage with stakeholders on a variety of issues to help us shape our understanding of the corporate responsibility issues we must address every day. We communicate with different types of stakeholders in different ways and regularly assess their concerns and expectations. We engage with growers, employees, communities close to our operations, industry associations, NGOs, governments and investors.
We support a wide range of initiatives and engage with different membership organizations and associations. We also have partnerships and work closely with NGOs and other civil society organizations.
Syngenta Group contributes to the economies and communities of the countries where we operate in many ways. The biggest contribution we make to communities is through our products and services which help improve food security for many millions of people. We aim to increase the value that we share with communities by offering training and advice that help millions of farmers to improve productivity, increase resource efficiency, and earn a better living. As our business continues to grow, we also contribute through direct and indirect employment.
We also support local initiatives that address environmental issues, improve access to technology, increase health and nutritional awareness, and enhance science and education. We do this through direct financial contributions, in-kind contributions and staff time spent on sponsorship, donation and community engagement programs.
Based in Basel, Switzerland, the Foundation is a non-profit organization established by Syngenta under Swiss law. The Foundation can access company expertise but is legally independent and has its own Board. While Syngenta works with commercial growers, the Foundation supports pre-commercial growers in developing countries.
After Syngenta filed for voluntary delisting, Syngenta shares and Syngenta American Depositary shares were delisted from SIX Swiss Exchange or NYSE respectively in early January 2018. As a private company, Syngenta is not entitled to participate in certain sustainability indexes.
We continue to participate in other relevant indexes and rankings, such as the Access to Seeds Index and CDP, answering questions from stakeholders and making material information available on our website, news center, media channels and in our ESG Report. We also continue to engage with ESG rating agencies.
We report greenhouse gas emissions and water use through the CDP.
View all our submissions on the CDP website or download our latest submissions here: climate change and water security.
Learn more about our contribution to tackle climate change and conserve water.
Talent attraction and retention
The passion and diversity of our people are distinctive assets and key elements of our brand and culture. Syngenta is not a place where simply doing a job is enough. It is vital that everyone has clarity about their own contribution and how we work together to achieve our goals. Our environment is intense and dynamic, and we all need to be adaptable to change.
Our ambition and strategy are directed by our purpose, bringing plant potential to life. It inspires and guides our work. Our values articulate what we regard as being important and help us make decisions. Through our values, we express who we are and what we stand for:
- Passion for customers
- Long view
- Growth for all
- Determined execution
- How matters
We consider celebrating and sharing our achievements as an important element of our culture. In 2017, we launched a new global employee recognition program called Val-You that enables employees to recognize other colleagues for making important contributions that drive our business performance, while bringing our values to life.
We need to attract, retain and motivate a workforce that will deliver the innovation required to grow more from less. We do this by taking an open and proactive approach to recruitment, and offering attractive development opportunities to ensure we retain talent.
Available positions are advertised globally, and through local internet sites, and we use social media to promote opportunities as widely as we can. We engage graduates through job fairs and career days, and offer graduate programs throughout the business and across our global operations.
Our performance management and talent programs focus on defining goals that are right for the individual and our organization. We have corporate goals, against which all team and individual goals must align. We encourage ongoing dialogue between employees and line managers, by reinforcing a culture of continuous feedback. In 2018, we launched a new approach to ongoing dialogue to ensure we continuously raise the performance of our people while providing them differentiated development paths. These dialogue sessions between employee and line manager, called Pause2Talk, are forward-looking and help employees understand how their individual contribution helps to raise the company’s performance.
Our talent programs assess an employee’s potential and help determine their development needs and career planning requirements. We focus on the individual, ensuring that each person develops both personally and professionally in line with their own needs and aspirations, and those of the organization.
We maintain a formal performance management process, which aligns individual, team and organizational goals, improves performance, and supports individual development.
Through this process, we support personal development and recognize individual contribution. The process is owned by line managers with support from our Human Resources teams. All employees are expected to take personal accountability for their performance and development using our framework of setting goals, planning appropriate development opportunities and assessing performance at year-end. This framework is also linked to our Short-Term Incentive program.
The performance criteria are based on an individual’s contribution throughout the year. The contribution of each individual is recognized by assessing the “What”, which describes the tangible deliverables linked to individual and team objectives, and the “How”, which describes the behaviors and ways of working in alignment with our values and leadership model.
Syngenta developed The Good Growth Plan as a measure for the sustainability of its strategy. All employees, including senior executives, are subject to a formal annual performance management process, which aligns individual, team and organizational objectives. Active participation in The Good Growth Plan is bringing the concept of sustainability to life across the company and is heightening awareness of the importance of each individual’s work.
The Long-Term Incentive Plan for the Executives is subject to secondary performance measures. Key elements in this are performance measures related to The Good Growth Plan.
At Syngenta, our Employee Value Proposition (EVP) sets out what we stand for and offer as an employer, and what we expect from current and potential employees. Syngenta offers a combination of monetary and non-monetary rewards. Our compensation principles provide a transparent, performance-oriented and market-competitive compensation framework for all employees, including senior executives. The non-monetary elements allow Syngenta to differentiate itself from competitors and play a key role in attracting potential and retaining current employees. We offer attractive career development programs to allow our people to grow personally and professionally and a stimulating and collaborative work environment where diverse backgrounds are valued and talents are nurtured.
At the same time, we expect from our employees to proactively plan and manage their career development in close collaboration with their line manager. Our employees are also expected to contribute to the success of the company through their open participation, co-creation and innovation.
The EVP serves to strengthen Syngenta’s position as an employer in a competitive marketplace. It supports our culture and enables us to attract, motivate, engage and retain highly qualified employees to deliver the strategic plans and goals of the company.
We reward our employees based on their performance and in line with local market conditions in each country where we operate. Our compensation system links compensation to both individual performance and the financial success of our company. The compensation package we offer includes:
- Fixed compensation – base salary
- Variable compensation – short-term incentive plans and, for selected leaders, long-term incentive plans
- Benefits
Employees are subject to a formal annual performance management process. Annual performance ratings influence both the annual base salary and variable compensation elements of our overall compensation structure. Our performance management system also emphasizes the need for coaching and development alongside appraisal.
Variable compensation, in the form of short- and long-term incentive programs, is determined by the level and scope of the individual’s job, as well as the external market value of the respective job, the location, business performance and individual performance. Both the short-term and long-term incentives are paid in cash.
Benefits for our employees include pensions, insurance and healthcare plans that are designed to provide a reasonable level of security for our employees and their dependents in respect to retirement, health, disability and death in service. The level of benefits is subject to country-specific laws, regulations and market practice.
Diversity and inclusion
We value diversity and inclusion as reflected in our corporate values and leadership commitments. Embracing the unique perspectives and capabilities of our employees is helping to catalyze innovation, maximize performance and create business value.
A diverse workforce and an inclusive workplace are enablers of our ambition to bring greater food security in an environmentally sustainable way to an increasingly populous world. The diversity of Syngenta Group is unique and represents a true potential competitive advantage that will drive best-in-class innovation, productivity, and growth. But this is also simply the right thing to do – for us, for our business, for the customers we serve, and for the communities in which we work and live. We are committed to championing greater inclusion both within the company and in the agribusiness industry.
We report relevant key performance indicators in our ESG Report (p. 65).
Learning and development
We encourage personal and professional growth through a culture of continuous learning. Our global reach and the wide range of diverse careers we offer provide employees with the opportunity to excel and fulfill their potential. Individual employees produce personal development plans suited to their own career aspirations and developmental requirements. These development plans are discussed and agreed with line managers and included in the development and planning part of the annual performance planning process.
We place great emphasis on developing our leadership and people management skills. Working with global external partners we offer world-class development pathways for leaders based on training, virtual learning and coaching experiences. Rigorous assessment and feedback help leaders understand the requirements of their role and specific development priorities. There is customized development for our most promising talent across global, regional and territory leadership populations. Our learning and development teams are constantly working on new development experiences to build the capabilities required by our business strategy and industry. For example, our MyCrop training program ensures employees understand farming requirements from the perspective of the grower.
We also offer specialist training programs for key business functions. For example, our Commercial Excellence team designs programs; self, virtual or face-to-face learning to provide a deep understanding and application of concepts relating to sales, marketing, pricing, integrated business planning and customer operations. The ultimate objective is to support the Syngenta strategy and unleash the full potential of our people.
Our approach to leadership development recognizes the importance of tailoring it to the scope and complexity of specific leadership roles.
We believe that leadership development happens in many different ways – through learning from role-specific experiences and challenges, from feedback, coaching or mentoring from peers and other senior leaders. This development is supported by our formal Global Leadership Development Programs.
The Global Leadership Development Programs consist of a series of distinct developmental pathways based on the level of leadership role. For example, all first line managers are offered to participate in a 24-month development pathway including 360° feedback assessment, training, coaching and on-line learning support on key areas of management. Senior managers and Executive leaders are also offered customized development tailored to their role. We also have specialized programs for emerging leadership talent designed to accelerate their readiness for the next stage of their career.
Health, safety and wellbeing
We care about the health and safety of our people and we seek to maintain an industry-leading approach to employee health and safety. Our values and the Syngenta Group Code of Conduct demonstrate our strong commitment to the health and safety of our employees, customers and the communities in which we operate.
We foster a culture where everyone is expected to take personal responsibility for their own health and safety. Our global health, safety and environment policy and standards are communicated through local training programs at all our sites. We have a Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) management system in place and we monitor performance across all our operations. Each site reports health and safety performance on a monthly basis through our Health and Safety Reporting System.
Read more in our Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Policy
Contractors (such as security services or contracted employees) are expected to uphold our policies on health and safety in the same way as our employees are. We also have policies to ensure that work carried out by any contractors is conducted with proper regard to the health and safety of workers and others. We provide relevant information and ensure that adequate management control systems are in place. We report our health and safety performance for permanent employees and contractors in a consolidated way, as we believe that, from a health and safety perspective, there is no difference between the two.
Contractors managed through third parties are subject to our global requirements for suppliers which include health and safety. We also conduct and report on our health, safety, environment and quality assessments of chemical suppliers and warehouse and logistics service providers globally. For more information on these assessments and our approach to responsible supply chain, see our ESG Report (p. 58).
Our people’s passion and diversity are core assets and key elements of our brand. Respect for their health and wellbeing is a core value and our success is dependent on it.
Our commitment to the health of our people is an important part of our approach to corporate responsibility, and supports our ‘health through action’ value. Our Code of Conduct, supporting corporate policies, and codes of practice are clear on the importance of providing employees with a safe working environment.
We offer a range of wellbeing programs tailored to local needs, including sports centers, healthy options at staff restaurants, health checks, family counseling services and access to legal advice.
Supply chain management
We strive for an end-to-end integrated approach to designing and operating our supply chains that combines our own internal manufacturing network with an extensive supplier base to ensure our supply chain objectives match our commercial product strategies. The products and services we procure from suppliers are divided into two categories:
- Direct - the supply of all materials that are required in the manufacture or supply of the products we sell
- Indirect – the goods and services that are required to support our operations (including professional services, information systems, marketing, engineering, waste and utilities)
Clear policies define the principles that guide all our procurement activities around the world. Our objectives are to ensure that goods and services are acquired under the best conditions to support our business and that our high standards on corporate responsibility are met. We ensure that our suppliers, and Syngenta employees engaging with suppliers, understand the high standards we expect on issues such as labor practices, business ethics, health, safety and environment as set out in the Syngenta Group Code of Conduct.
We monitor our suppliers' performance through audits and assessments to ensure compliance with our standards and identify opportunities for improvement. As a member of the Together for Sustainability Initiative, we have partnered with others within the chemical industry to try to do this in the most efficient way for suppliers. Employees engaging with suppliers undergo training on ethical procurement practices as well as specific training on topics such as fraud awareness.
Our aim is to be the customer of choice for our key suppliers. We use our assessment processes and regular, open dialogue with suppliers to help us develop strong positive relationships in the market place.
Our supplier relationship management (SRM) approach enables us to manage suppliers effectively, promoting strong governance practices, while enabling us to focus on our most critical suppliers to maximize value and reduce risks in our supply chain.
The SRM approach encompasses a clear strategy and process, defined supplier segmentation, clear roles and accountabilities, effective tools and resources, and a commitment to continuous improvement from Syngenta and our suppliers. It enables us to identify our most important suppliers from a supply chain that includes more than 1,000 global tier 1 suppliers for active ingredients, raw materials, intermediates and co-formulants.
The process begins with an analysis of our supplier base using filters such as spend, business impact, and single source situations. To segment and identify key suppliers each organization is then rated on a number of criteria such as technical fit, operational fit, location, sustainability (environmental, social, ethical) and quality standards, financial health of the organization, strategic alignment with our business, trust, and people retention and management.
We establish continuous improvement plans and risk management dashboards for all key suppliers, as well as providing additional management support where appropriate, such as assignment of supplier leads and key account managers. Additional support for suppliers can include HSE awareness training or upstream sourcing assistance.
Syngenta benefits from strong relationships with key suppliers and we often strive to form strategic partnerships with suppliers for multiple sourcing projects.
We use a number of tools to manage risks in the various tiers of our supply chain. These instruments allow us to assess risks associated with individual suppliers and with the sourcing of individual products, for example natural hazard risks based on location, sustainability related risks and financial health. A view of the risks per supply chain is considered in some detail in order that appropriate mitigation actions can be put into place.
Choosing responsible partners to work with is part of our commitment to be a responsible business. We set global requirements for suppliers on health, safety, environment, labor and human rights, and we carry out rigorous assessments and audits to monitor compliance and drive improvement.
We expect our suppliers to comply with the standards set out in our minimum requirements for suppliers. This sets out clear expectations on environmental and social requirements. Our procurement policies ensure that these principles are put into practice across our supplier base. Suppliers are required to achieve compliance either by demonstrating that they have a binding document in place comparable to our minimum requirements for suppliers or by making this document part of the contractual agreement.
Visit our Sustainable Operations page and read our ESG Report (pg. 58) to find out more about managing sustainability in our supply chain.
Our objective is to reduce the carbon intensity of our operations by 50% by 2030 to support the goals of the Paris Agreement. Our commitment had been validated and endorsed by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
We have a long tradition of assessing suppliers’ environmental and social performance and working with them to improve standards.
In 2015, Syngenta joined the Together for Sustainability (TfS) initiative. The TfS members work jointly on supplier audits and assessments on health, safety and the environment, as well as social and ethical issues. The TfS framework supports the principles of the UN Global Compact, responsible Care and the International Labor Organization. By auditing together, TfS enables us to focus on raising standards for our suppliers with greater efficiency. In 2020, TfS initiated work to develop a collective approach to measuring and reducing GHG emissions in chemical industry supply chains.
We also conduct additional, more in-depth audits focused on health, safety and environment (HSE) at selected chemical suppliers and formulation, fill and packaging suppliers. Sites are selected for audits based on a number of criteria - including the strategic importance and any likely risks associated with that site. Suppliers are rated on their performance and receive recommendations detailing any areas for improvement. We only work with a supplier once a minimum HSE standard is achieved, and failure to make improvements can lead to the cancellation of any contractual arrangements.
In China and in India, we have launched our Process Safety Management Program. It involves training and auditing of key chemical suppliers handling high hazard products or processes, with a focus on driving their capability improvement in this critical area.
Audits are also completed at warehouse and logistics service providers. These sites are selected based on HSE record, hazard of materials to be stored or transported, and their importance to our business. The audits are carried out by an independent, competent professional against the standards defined in Syngenta's codes of practice. Gaps are identified and if required an action plan is put in place.
We also monitor our seed supply farms to ensure compliance with labor standards (see the questions below for more detail).
Read more about our supplier programs on our Sustainable Operations page and in our ESG Report (p. 58).
Syngenta Seeds has a strong Quality Assurance culture recognizing that seeds quality is determined first in the field and factory. Syngenta’s Quality Control labs test physiological, physical, genetic and trait purity, and seed health aspects relevant to the crop and legal requirements. The rules of the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) and the rules of the Association of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA) for North America are the general guidelines for physiological testing. For seed health the appropriate standards are the National Seed Health System (NSHS; USA), NAKTUINBOUW (European accreditation body) and the standards of the International Seed Health Initiative (ISHI).
If a country of sale has no specific requirements, Syngenta Seeds adheres to internal seed quality specifications as a minimum standard using industry accepted and proprietary testing protocols to evaluate quality parameters. Testing protocols are documented in our Quality ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system that documents all activities to direct, control, coordinate and improve quality processes. The protocols are translated into work instructions and procedures for testing, documenting, and controlling seed product quality. Delivery of value and innovation to our customers on time, every time requires a consistent focus on quality. Our brand and reputation depend on this.
The Syngenta Code of Conduct sets out our commitment to build and maintain trust in Syngenta and to integrate our business, social and environmental responsibilities into everything we do. We expect our seed suppliers to live up to the same standards we set ourselves. In The Good Growth Plan, we have committed to look after every worker by striving for fair labor conditions throughout our entire supply chain network by 2020.
The Syngenta Fair Labor Program helps to further strengthening our relationship with our seed growing partners. The program promotes decent working conditions related to health and safety, child labor, employment relationship, compensation, working hours, freedom of association and collective bargaining, harassment and abuse, forced labor and nondiscrimination. The program is well established in 98% of our total seed supply network.
Syngenta local teams periodically monitor our supply chain for compliance. We work with the Fair Labor Association (FLA), which provides independent assurance that the processes associated with our Syngenta Fair Labor Program are robust and comply with their standards of fair labor and responsible sourcing. To provide this assurance, FLA representatives visit farms, review documentation and interview workers. Each visit lasts approximately three days and is undertaken during peak production periods when the risk of non-compliance is greatest.
Customer relationship management
Across all our businesses, growers are the heart of everything we do. We look at business decisions and processes through their eyes, enabling us to respond to the needs of our customers. Our approach to Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is established globally and delivered locally within each country by our commercial teams – this provides consistency for our customers and ensures our vision is translated effectively into all of our customer interactions.
There are a number of key considerations that steer our CRM activities – all are focused on identifying customer needs and adding value through the products and services we provide. We look at what the market requires and, in particular, what growers and their customers need and demand. We strive to find innovative ways to engage with customers to respond quickly with information and robust solutions. Responsible data management is important to us and we handle customer data ethically and in compliance with GDPR.
Customer satisfaction is important to us and we gather feedback directly from customers in all regions where we operate. We monitor a number of different metrics but focus on overall satisfaction at regional or country level to understand how well our products and services are received.
We provide a wide variety of information to our customers. Our products often differ by country and we adapt our approach to respond to local needs and requirements. Each product has all mandatory product information including usage recommendation on its label. Country websites provide extensive product information including our Material Safety Data Sheets (see US and UK examples). Through their daily interactions with customers, our sales teams also provide product information and advice on benefits and safe use and can learn about the challenges they are facing. We also have call centers to provide our customers with easy, toll-free access to comprehensive advice about our entire product range.
Security management
We make it a priority to create an environment where employees feel secure, have peace of mind and can perform at their best. Security risks include risks to the security of our people, assets, products, and information. We manage these risks through:
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People protection – we take steps to protect employees by advising them of significant security risks when they are working or traveling, particularly in high-risk countries.
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Tangible assets – we protect our products by enhancing confidence in them and taking action against infringers, so as to sustain our market share and brand reputation. We protect Syngenta's physical assets and critical third party locations against internal and external threats such as burglary, robbery, theft, and sabotage
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Intangible assets – we protect our sensitive information, our online presence, and our reputation against cyber-enabled criminal activities which include theft, fraud, the online sale of fake products and violent activism.
The majority of our security personnel are unarmed – in accordance with the identified level of risk. However, we maintain armed security personnel in a small number of sites globally where security risks have been identified as particularly high due to frequent instances of violent crime or terrorism, or where this is legally required. Our primary focus is always the safety of our people. The arming of security officers follows well-defined rules, governed by a Corporate Security Code of Practice written in line with recognized best practice in the field of security management and human rights, and in accordance with local law.
Our Corporate Security teams have been trained on potential human rights concerns and best practices related to security management and key international human rights codes – including international humanitarian laws, the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Providers and the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights.
We employ third party security service providers at around 160 of our sites. All of them have to meet our requirements on human rights, and all new contracts include a requirement to operate in accordance with the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Providers, to which many of our contractors are already signatories.
We conduct risk assessments at all sites employing armed security officers to confirm whether carrying of arms is appropriate.
Find out more about our Human Rights practices.
In 2007, a former Syngenta R&D site in Cascavel (Brazil) was illegally occupied by several hundred protesters. A confrontation occurred when a number of guards employed by the security company returned to the site without Syngenta’s authorization several hours after the illegal occupation began, tragically resulting in the fatalities of a guard and a protester.
We are saddened by the incident and condemn the use of violence. Syngenta is not responsible for the confrontation which occurred at the site or the ensuing events and was absolved of any criminal liability in the police investigation and action by the public prosecutor which followed the events. We are in fundamental disagreement with the decision by the 1st Civil Court of Cascavel within the Civil Lawsuit filed against Syngenta as the company cannot be liable based on the alleged facts. We have appealed this decision.