Can you introduce Bayer’s mission and explain how sustainability integrates into the company's operations?
Bayer’s overarching mission is “health for all, hunger for none.” This vision cannot be achieved without embedding sustainability into everything we do. Unlike some companies where sustainability strategies are separate, at Bayer, it is fully integrated into our business strategy. This means sustainability is central to how we approach innovation, value creation, and how we manage our supply and value chains. In short, it is embedded across all facets of our operations.
For example, we focus on three main areas that align with our mission: improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, enhancing access to modern contraceptives for women in low and middle-income countries, and expanding self-care solutions to underserved communities. These commitments are backed by our target to become climate neutral by 2030 and net-neutral by 2050 across our entire value and supply chain. This also includes detailed tracking through our climate transition plan, ensuring transparency and accountability.
How does Bayer address sustainability in terms of packaging and resource efficiency, especially given its challenges?
Sustainability in packaging is something we are actively addressing, particularly within consumer health. Our goal is to ensure 100% of our product packaging is recycle-ready or reusable by 2030. Packaging poses a significant challenge, and we have focused on transitioning the hardest parts, such as sustainable blister packaging, which has long been a sustainability hurdle due to its multi-layer composition of plastic and aluminum.
We are excited to announce a breakthrough in this area: the industry’s first PET blister packaging for our Aleve brand, launching in the Netherlands. This new packaging reduces this packages’s carbon footprint by 38% and contributes to lowering biodiversity loss. This innovation also demonstrates how industries can come together, as we have done with the Global Self-Care Federation, to address these challenges on a larger scale.
Can you elaborate on how Bayer supports underserved communities, particularly those affected by climate change?
One of our main focuses is on the intersection between climate and health, as we believe the human health impacts of climate change are some of the most pressing issues. For example, climate change exacerbates extreme heat, which leads to increased incidents of heart disease, poor air quality, and water scarcity issues, all of which disproportionately affect vulnerable populations like smallholder farmers and women in low-income countries.
Our Nutrient Gap Initiative tackles these issues head-on by expanding access to micronutrients for 50 million people by 2030, particularly focusing on women and girls. This initiative is crucial because malnutrition can trap families in cycles of poverty. By improving nutrition, we aim to break this cycle and improve health outcomes for future generations. Through partnerships and education, we are also working to address barriers to nutritious food and prenatal care in vulnerable communities.
What role does collaboration play in achieving Bayer’s ambitious sustainability goals?
Collaboration is absolutely essential to achieving our sustainability goals. In the world today, the scale of the challenges we face—whether it’s climate change, health equity, or food security—demand collective action. At Bayer, we believe sustainability is a team sport. We engage deeply with communities, NGOs, governments, and industry partners to create solutions that can have a meaningful impact.
For example, our collaboration with Vitamin Angels in India and 20 other underserved markets has helped us expand access to essential prenatal care, including micronutrient supplements. Additionally, our partnership with reach52, a social enterprise, focuses on last-mile delivery and health education in health deserts. These partnerships help us address gaps in healthcare delivery, improve nutrition, and support smallholder farmers, all while driving sustainability and resilience.
Can you provide some examples of how these collaborations have had a tangible impact?
One significant example is our work with the Indonesian Ministry of Health, where our partnerships are set to positively impact 10 million pregnant women each year. Through the Nutrient Gap Initiative, we’ve expanded access to essential nutrients for 30 million people already, and we’re on track to reach 50 million by 2030. These are life-changing interventions that not only improve health outcomes but also create long-term societal benefits by tackling malnutrition and poverty at its roots.
Additionally, our collaboration with the Global Self-Care Federation has been pivotal in advancing sustainable packaging solutions across the industry. By addressing issues like blister packaging, we’re working to improve the recyclability of materials that have traditionally posed challenges to sustainability efforts. These types of cross-sector collaborations allow us to share knowledge, drive innovation, and ensure that new solutions can be scaled and sustained over time.
How does Bayer’s strategy address global climate and health challenges?
We recognize that climate change and health are inextricably linked, and that’s why we’re working at the nexus of these two issues.
Whether it’s extreme heat, water shortages, or malnutrition, climate change directly affects human health, particularly in vulnerable communities. Through our partnerships with the World Economic Forum and other organizations, we are identifying the most impactful interventions the private sector can make to improve climate resilience and health outcomes.
For example, we are part of a World Economic Forum steering committee that focuses on climate and health, where we collaborate with governments and other stakeholders to create smarter policies that enhance resilience. On the ground, we’re working with smallholder farmers to improve their nutrition and health through initiatives like Better Life Farming. By integrating health solutions into agricultural practices, we aim to create more sustainable communities that can withstand the impacts of climate change.
Given the scale of these challenges, what are Bayer’s next steps in driving sustainability and impact?
We believe that to truly drive impact, we need to continue scaling our efforts. We are actively expanding our sustainable packaging innovations across more product lines and regions, while deepening our partnerships with industry peers and NGOs. Looking ahead, we’ll focus on pushing the boundaries of sustainability in healthcare, agriculture, and consumer health.
One area we’re excited about is expanding our work in health deserts by working with community health workers and creating educational initiatives. We’ll also keep driving innovation in sustainable packaging, ensuring our solutions are not only environmentally friendly but also scalable and effective in meeting the needs of underserved populations. As we continue to expand our efforts globally, collaboration and collective action will remain at the heart of everything we do.
