Sustainability

2020 Sustainability Report

Discover our 2020 sustainability report

“Meeting tomorrow’s demand” - our sustainability strategy

“Meeting tomorrow’s demand” by making agricultural products available to everyone on the planet, every day, means doing business in a responsible and sustainable way.

This is because wherever we go, we are committed to creating a positive, sustainable and long-lasting difference for all our stakeholders – from our people to our shareholders, farmers, customers, communities and countries in which we operate.

Our sustainability strategy is based on five objectives.

The interactive diagram below explains the material issues and policies each one addresses.

Upholding standards

Upholding standards

Create value and balance stakeholder interests by good corporate governance, compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and ensuring the quality and safety of our products.

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Material issues

Good Governance & Compliance
Product Quality & Safety

Sustainability policy

Taking care of our people

Taking care of our people

Recognise people as the driving force behind our business by respecting their (human and labour) rights, providing a safe and healthy work environment, and offering employees opportunities to develop their potential and excel.

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Material issues

Respect for Human & Labour Rights
Occupational Health & Safety
Talent Attraction & Retention

Sustainability policy

Managing our environmental impact

Managing our environmental impact

Mitigate the environmental impact of our operations by monitoring and optimising our resource efficiency, applying responsible agricultural (production) practices and minimising waste generation.

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Material issues

Responsible Agricultural Production
Water management
Waste management
Energy efficiency & Reduction of Emissions

Sustainability policy

Environmental policy

Connecting supply & demand responsibly

Connecting supply & demand responsibly

Manage our supply chains in an efficient, responsible and sustainable way by mitigating possible environmental and social risks – including biodiversity and deforestation – sharing best practices and achieving partnerships, and by reducing impact on natural resources and increasing agricultural productivity through (agricultural) innovation.

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Material issues

Sustainable Agricultural Sourcing
(Agricutural) Innovation

Sustainability policy

Supplier Code of Conduct, including commodity-specific policies

Building strong communities

Building strong communities

Have a positive impact on the communities where we work and live; empower underprivileged people to improve their future within the context of international agribusiness, through community engagement, partnerships and programs.

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Material issues

Community engagement

Sustainability policy

Stakeholder Engagement Policy

Upholding standards

Careful compliance and good corporate governance keep our products safe, and help us to balance our shareholders’ needs.

Taking care of our people

The future of our company depends on our people. The work we do helps our people reach their potential working in a safe, healthy environment.

Managing our environmental impact

We are striving to reduce the environmental impact of our activities around the world.

Connecting supply and demand responsibly

We are working to minimise the social and environmental risks at different points along our supply chain.

Building strong communities

Our partnerships and programmes are making a positive impact on the communities we work near and live in.

Our policies

COFCO International's formalised policies are an integral part of our company-wide sustainability approach.

Sustainability reporting

We publish annual sustainability reports outlining progress made towards our mission to meet rising demand for food in a sustainable way.

Our partnerships and memberships

Collaboration is key to better understand and sensitively address the diverse and complex sustainability challenges we face as a company and as an industry.

Tackling Covid-19 freight challenges, together

19 January 2022

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented disruptions and challenges for vessel operations and chartering, largely due to the additional contractual, operational and trade restrictions caused by strict preventive measurements imposed by ports and governments. COFCO International’s Freight Department – which supports the company’s commodity trading by ensuring the smooth movement of goods for safe and timely delivery of its physical trade - is responding to this with flexibility and foresight.

Impact Season: COFCO International employees step up their action on sustainability

30 December 2021

Collective action is the way forward to achieving a more sustainable world and promoting global food security. That’s why COFCO International is engaging all its partners and employees to fulfil its vision to meet the growing demand for food responsibly. The company is acting on the social and environmental issues where its stands to make the greatest difference – within its operations, supply chains and communities. Its first Impact Season provided an opportunity to further engage employees in its sustainability strategy, empowering teams to take action for impact at a local level.

A global career, from Japan to Geneva

20 December 2021

It’s a long way from rural Japan to Geneva. But the mountains and lakes have helped Tetsuya Watanabe, Global Trading Manager for feed grains at COFCO International, to feel at home in Switzerland. His journey to Geneva has been long but underpinning it has been his interest in agricultural commodities.

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