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Bayer among the first to sign Global Compact LEAD initiative


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Presentation at the World Economic Forum in Davos:


UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon: Business leaders willing to move beyond status quo are key for sustainability / Bayer Board of Management Chairman Dr. Dekkers: We play an active role in the important UN initiative
Leverkusen, – Bayer was one of the first signatories of “LEAD”, the new platform for corporate sustainability leadership of the United Nations Global Compact, which was presented today at the World Economic Forum in Davos. As one of 54 participating companies, among them six corporations headquartered in Germany, the Bayer Group has pledged its commitment to the strategic advancement of the Global Compact’s program. Based on the experience gained from the first 10 years of the companies’ commitment to global sustainability under the auspices of the United Nations, this leadership initiative aims to set new standards. By signing up to LEAD, companies commit to implementing an ambitious plan of action. This ranges from the extended incorporation of the Global Compact principles in their corporate strategies and business activities and the in-depth reporting of progress to specific involvement in global initiatives and local networks. The overriding aim is to make a greater contribution to overcoming the global challenges of the future.

“From the beginning, the Global Compact has been driven by business leaders willing to move beyond the status quo,” Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, said at the launch of the initiative in Davos. “Through Global Compact LEAD, you can help guide the way to the level of sustainability performance our world requires from business today.”

“We are happy to meet the United Nations’ request to play an active role in this important UN initiative,” stated Chairman of the Bayer Board of Management Dr. Marijn Dekkers. “At Bayer, sustainability is an integral part of the corporate strategy. With our products and know-how we want to make specific contributions to meeting global challenges such as health care, nutrition and climate change. The Global Compact provides an ideal forum for coming to an understanding on companies’ responsibility for sustainable development and for jointly devising new ways of implementing continuous improvements – and the LEAD platform is a suitable tool for setting standards,” Dekkers added, who is attending the World Economic Forum in Davos.

The United Nations Global Compact is the world’s biggest initiative for sustainable business practices. The more than 8,900 members from over 135 countries also include non-government organizations. Bayer was one of the 50 companies who founded the initiative in 2000. The members agree to comply with the 10 principles in the fields of human rights, labor standards, environmental protection and anti-corruption. They promote the global implementation of these principles with their own activities and regularly publish progress reports. Another key feature of the initiative is the exchange of information and experience. Members who do not provide regular reports on their progress are excluded from the initiative. More than 2,000 companies have been excluded to date.



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