The paradox of agriculture is how to produce more with less environmental and climate impact : we talk with Bayer ' s Head of Sustainability , Klaus Kunz
BAYER
The paradox of agriculture is how to produce more with less environmental and climate impact : we talk with Bayer ' s Head of Sustainability , Klaus Kunz
With a turnover of more than € 40bn and a million employees , Bayer is a giant by any standards . Its Crop Sciences Division has grown alongside the traditional pharmaceutical business since it was launched in 2002 , particularly since its acquisition of its American rival Monsanto . At that time , Chairman Werner Baumann asserted : “ Our sustainability targets are as important to us as our financial targets ,” a bold statement but a commitment all companies are having to take on in the new reality that ' s developed around climate change , biodiversity and population growth awareness . Agribusiness is especially under pressure to change and adapt to the sometimes conflicting pressures from the environmental lobby , the urgent need to feed ever growing populations and ( frequently misinformed ) public perception fuelled by social media or the press .
That ' s part of the reason why Klaus Kunz , Head of Sustainability and Business Stewardship at Bayer Crop Science , has one of the most demanding jobs in this sector . He ' s been with Bayer for ten years , in his present job for the last three and a half leading sustainability initiatives and before that leading on compliance and regulatory issues . Thus he played a big part in formulating Bayer ' s three part commitment made in 2019 , a rethink of Bayer ' s strategy following the Monsanto acquisition :
30 January 2022