Geneva, Switzerland
January 22, 2013

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) today announced that Monsanto Company has joined its membership.

Monsanto, a leading global provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products that aim to improve farm productivity and food quality, joins WBCSD and is offering the WBCSD's Business Ecosystems Training (BET) course globally for employees. The BET course will enhance employees' awareness and understanding of the links between ecosystems and business.

Monsanto is working to help find ways to produce more food within the limits of the world's natural systems. A global population expected to grow to 9 billion people by 2050 will mean rising demand for food coupled with increasing strains on natural resources – such as water, arable land and ecosystem services. This requires new agriculture systems and products that are both more productive and more sustainable.

"In joining the WBCSD, Monsanto is taking an important step along a continuum towards developing a more sustainable agriculture system – one that improves our daily lives, respects our global environment and recognizes the importance of the world's small-holder farmers," said Peter Bakker, President, WBCSD. "We must find new ways to protect soils, enhance ecosystems and optimize land use in ways that are environmentally sound. And we must move towards a future vision for agriculture where absolutes become as out of place as a one-size-fits-all approach to farming."

"At Monsanto, our company vision for sustainable agriculture strives to contribute to meeting the needs of the growing population, to protect and preserve natural resources, and to help improve lives," said Jerry Steiner, Executive Vice President, Sustainability and Corporate Affairs at Monsanto. "We are excited to join the WBCSD and connect with a global coalition of more than 200 companies that advocate for progress on sustainable development."

Hugh Grant, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Monsanto, will represent the company as a WBCSD Council Member. Jerry Steiner, Executive Vice President of Sustainability and Corporate Affairs at Monsanto, is the WBCSD Liaison Delegate. Gabriela Burian, Director of Sustainable Agriculture Ecosystems at Monsanto, leads the company's integration and implementation of WBCSD ecosystem training and tools.

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development is a CEO-led organization of forward-thinking companies that galvanizes the global business community to create a sustainable future for business, society and the environment. Together with its members, the Council applies its respected thought leadership and effective advocacy to generate constructive solutions and take shared action. Leveraging its strong relationships with stakeholders as the leading advocate for business, the council helps drive debate and policy change in favor of sustainable development solutions.
The WBCSD provides a forum for its 200 member companies - who represent all business sectors, all continents and a combined revenue of more than $7 trillion - to share best practices on sustainable development issues and to develop innovative tools that change the status quo. The Council also benefits from a network of 60 national and regional business councils and partner organizations, a majority of which are based in developing countries.