Social responsibility and sustainability are integral to Bayer’s corporate policy. This commitment is also evidenced by the company’s participation in numerous initiatives and projects around the world.

The concept of Responsible Care has a long tradition at Bayer. The company has been a member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development since 1997 and is also among the founding members of the German sustainable development forum “econsense”.

Bayer is listed in various indices and represented in investment funds that honor companies for pursuing responsible, future-oriented corporate strategies. Examples are Storebrand Principal Funds, the Advanced Sustainable Performance Indices (ASPI) Eurozone, the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices and the FTSE4Good series of indices. In 2004 the company also became a member of the Global Reporting Initiative.

Bayer is a founding member of the Global Compact and, in Brazil, supports both the Abrinq Foundation and the Brazilian government’s “Fome Zero” (Zero Hunger) program. In mid-2004, Bayer broadened its partnership with UNEP through a new cooperation agreement that includes Bayer’s Young Environmental Envoy program. For years, Bayer has also been an active member of the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GBC).

Bayer is an official partner of “Germany – Land of Ideas”, a joint initiative of the German government and the country’s industry federation – under the patronage of German President Horst Köhler – established in connection with the 2006 Soccer World Cup.