Valent has held a long-standing commitment to sustainability. Our approach is linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which address the major challenges facing society such as poverty, food security, and the environment. We have identified five priority SDGs that are especially relevant to our business where we are best positioned to make an impact.
FY2021
Contents
06 A Message from our CEO 04 This is Valent U.S.A. 08 Our Commitment to Sustainability 12 SDG-2: Zero Hunger
16 SDG-4: Quality Education 22 SDG-5: Gender Equality
28 SDG-9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure 36 SDG-12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Our People Closing
40 42
This is Valent U.S.A.
The Valent Group of Companies Valent U.S.A. serves the North American agricultural markets by integrating biorational, botanical and traditional chemistry innovation and scientific advances from Sumitomo Chemical and the Valent group of companies.
Based in Wapato, WA., Pace International LLC is the leading global provider of sustainable postharvest solutions and technologies, equipment and technical services to maximize efficiencies in packing operations and increase the freshness and value of harvested crops. paceint.com
Headquartered in San Ramon, California, Valent U.S.A. LLC develops and markets products in the United States, Canada and Mexico that advance sustainable agriculture, protect crops, enhance crop yields, improve food quality, beautify the environment and safeguard public health. Valent U.S.A. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Chemical Company Ltd. of Tokyo, Japan, a world leader in petrochemicals, energy and functional materials, IT-related chemicals and materials, health and crop science products, and pharmaceuticals. Our purpose is to advance safe and abundant food, fiber and fuel through sustainable practices and innovative solutions that benefit agriculture, the environment and society. View our website at valent.com
This year, a new Valent entity was created to provide enterprise business services across the Valent group of companies. Valent North America brings together the Finance, Legal, Environmental, Health & Safety, Information Technology and Human Resources functions to drive strong governance and enhanced service delivery practices more broadly across the Valent group of companies – Valent U.S.A., Valent BioSciences, Pace International and Mycorrhizal Applications.
Headquartered in Libertyville, Ill., Valent BioSciences is the worldwide leader in the development, manufacturing, and commercialization of biorational products with sales in 95 countries around the world. valentbiosciences.com
Headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, MGK is a world leader in the development and distribution of botanical insecticides as well as a wide range of conventional chemistries. The company’s products serve consumer home and pet products, professional pest control, animal health, and crop protection. mgk.com
Headquartered in Grants Pass, OR., Mycorrhizal Applications grows mycorrhizal seeds, or “spores,” used to improve soil heath and increase nutrient and water uptake and efficiency. The company’s leading brand, MycoApply®, is sold in powder, granular, and liquid form. mycorrhizae.com
A Message From Our CEO
Welcome to our first annual Sustainability Report, a review of the progress we’ve made to advance sustainable agriculture across North America. Our commitment to sustainability is rooted in the founding of our parent company, Sumitomo Chemical, and its philosophy of JIRI-RITA – which translated means “our business must benefit society at large, not just our own interests.” Sustainability has been embedded in our culture and how we operate our business. We have a unique culture at Valent and I’m proud to be part of an organization united in the promise of “products that work, from people who care®.” At Valent, we are focused on the three pillars of People, Planet and Productivity and our work is tightly aligned with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which address the major problems facing the world such as poverty, food security, energy, and the environment. We have identified five SDGs that closely relate to our business and where we feel
we can make a real difference. These involve how we innovate and partner with stakeholders to continually learn, improve and enable sustainable agriculture and its societal benefits. As we focus on meeting the needs of our customers, we are keeping people at the forefront. Safety is always our number one priority, and we work to advance diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) so every member of our team can contribute to our spirit of innovation through open collaboration. This report centers on our progress against our priority SDGs, our initiatives to embed DE&I into our policies and practices, and other social impact efforts we are leveraging to create a sustainable future. Thank you for your continued partnership. We are honored to work alongside you to provide safe, nutritious food for people around the world.
Matt Plitt
President and CEO
Our Commitment to Sustainability
Aligning Our Commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Valent and Sumitomo Chemical support the objectives of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals , 17 interconnected and equally valued initiatives aimed at building a sustainable and inclusive world by 2030. At Valent, we see the SDGs as a powerful tool to align our work, demonstrate and measure the impact of our commitment to sustainability. Although we recognize the importance and interconnectedness of all SDGs, we have identified five priority SDGs that are especially relevant to our business where we are best positioned to make an impact.
We partner with customers and stakeholders to enhance their prosperity through Valent and Sumitomo Chemical’s long-standing commitment to continuous innovation and sustainability: • Valent Sustainable Solutions contributes to the three pillars of people, planet, and productivity by delivering world-class products and services that promote soil health and provide nutritious and affordable food today and for future generations. • Valent’s culture of sustainability provides safe, compliant, and efficient facilities and workplaces that help protect our employees and our environment. Valent’s credibility and resilience can be attributed to our people who exemplify the company’s core values by serving our customers with passion, commitment and expertise, and our parent company, Sumitomo Chemical, which brings a 100-year legacy of creating innovative global solutions that enhance food, health, and the environment in harmony with society.
THREE PILLARS: PEOPLE PLANET PRODUCTIVITY
How We Align With the SDG’s
SDG 2: Zero Hunger
SDG 4: Quality Education
SDG 5: Gender Equality
We support food banks and other organizations that supply food, labor, and resources to fight hunger; Valent products expand the practice of sustainable production and increase grower productivity.
Valent partners with FFA, AFA and other ag education programs to expand the awareness and education related to sustainable agriculture; other programs expose and train students on ag vocations and ag careers through classroom and hands- on learning opportunities.
We endorse and comply with the Equal Pay Act; our Valent Council for Diversity and Inclusion works to advance gender equality and diversity across the Valent Group; we work with MANRRS to create a diverse pipeline of talent for the industry and company.
SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, Infastructure
SDG 12: Responsible Consumption & Production
We invest in assets that expand the innovation and use of sustainable solutions, sustainable practices, and new discoveries in agriculture. We incorporate eco-friendly practices in our operations energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality.
Partnerships with CropLife America and other industry allies promote responsible consumption and reduced food waste; our sustainability efforts work to expand the science and education related to soil health research and practices.
In the pages that follow, you will find examples how we impact the five priority SDG’s outlined above based on a measurement process that captures, documents and tracks contributions, both from an individual employee and company perspective, including personal volunteer and financial contribution efforts. Given this is our first sustainability report, we expect our measurement process will continually evolve over time.
SDG-2: Zero Hunger
According to the United Nations, the world population is expected to reach nearly 10 billion by 2050, which means farmers will need to produce 70 percent more food than what is now produced. 1 Goal 2 is a call to end all forms of hunger and malnutrition by 2030, making sure all people – especially children – have access to sufficient and nutritious food year-round. Valent is working to advance sustainable agriculture practices, increase productivity and address of food waste and food loss through the products we provide our customers, strategic partnerships, and in the way we serve our communities. Pace International, a Valent group company, has a portfolio of postharvest fungicides that reduce losses by 350,000 tons each year. Pace’s extensive line of fruit coatings maintain the freshness and quality of fruit by preventing weight loss and dehydration. In the last two years, 400,000 tons of fruit didn’t go to waste due to Pace’s portfolio of sustainable coatings. In 2021, our Precision Ag team developed a mobile app with Artificial Intelligence and
Machine Learning technology to assist California Almond growers and Pest Control Advisors (PCAs) enrolled in the ReTain program to predict and manage the ideal application time for ReTain. This digital tool provides greater accuracy of predictions of the target bloom window of 30-60% for a ReTain application, which research has shown is the best timing to apply ReTain in almonds to maximize almond production. The Valent ReTain CA Almonds app is available on the App Store . Partnerships Valent U.S.A. is a Founding Partner of America’s Conservation Ag Movement , the largest U.S. public-private partnership collaborating with farmers at both national and local levels to accelerate the voluntary implementation of climate-smart agriculture on working operations. ACAM serves 500,000 U.S. row- crop, specialty crop and livestock farmers representing 200 million acres with climate smart education, resources and programming. A key initiative is The Connected Ag Working Group , which aims to close the digitized farm data gap; empower farmers to access emerging
1 Growing at a slower pace, world population is expected to reach 9.7 billion in 2050 and could peak at nearly 11 billion around 2100 https://www.un.org/development/desa/en/news/population/world-population-prospects-2019.html
climate-smart markets; and incubate new projects and funding opportunities to help producers aligned with the ACAM mission. Access the Scaling Connected Ag White Paper to learn more. We work with CropLife America , the crop protection industry association, to utilize relevant SDGs and stakeholder input as a foundation to define key goals and outcomes that enhance farmer sustainability. SDG-2 is a focus SDG for CLA to advance innovative solutions that allow farmers to produce more food with fewer resources. Without them, farmers would need twice as much land to grow the same amount of food due to reduced yields. The American Soybean Association (ASA) advocates for U.S. soybean farmers on policy and trade issues. Valent partners with ASA to advance sustainability and ensure farmers have access to the tools and technology to farm sustainably, which includes reducing food waste. To shine a light on those farmers that have embraced innovative conservation practices, Valent is a major sponsor of ASA’s annual Conservation Legacy Awards which recognize farm management practices of U.S. soybean farmers who are both environmentally friendly and profitable. Valent collaborates in a similar fashion with other industry associations including the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) where we work to advance sustainable agriculture through investments in science education and corn production research at the university level.
SDG-2 Spotlight
Farmlink metrics to date ( April 2020 – present):
Being part of the ag industry, Valent knew firsthand the stress the pandemic was causing in the food chain. An internal poll revealed employees craved conducting a virtual food drive, and after some research, a partnership was established with the Farmlink Project. The campaign collected nearly $33,000 between July and August of 2020. This included the initial $10,000 contribution from Valent, plus employee donations matched up to $500 each. For every $100 raised, Farmlink can feed a family of four for a month.
Farmlink Project: Moving Food From Farms to Communities Valent and our employees provide both financial support and volunteer services in support of Food Banks where we live and work. Some of these include The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, Oregonians for Food and Shelter, and the Farmlink Project , a nonprofit organization fighting against food insecurity and food waste. A group of college students started Farmlink when COVID-19 closed their college campuses in March 2020. Once back home, they longed to do something to help the many people struggling during the pandemic — those who needed food and those who had food going to waste. The idea of Farmlink took root. They created an organization that connects farmers to food banks, delivering millions of pounds of farm fresh produce to feed families in need that would otherwise be wasted.
Million pounds of food delivered Million meals delivered States sourced from farms Farms/food donors we’ve collected Million paid to farmers and truckers States delivered to food partner organizations Food partner organizations we’ve delivered to
85 70 32 221
$4.1
46
300
SDG-4: Quality Education
Partnerships For over 25 years, Valent has partnered with the National FFA Organization to enhance the lives of youth through agricultural education. Through this partnership, we have invested in resources to equip schools, teachers and students with sustainability in agriculture education and skills. In 2021, Valent’s Sustainability in Agriculture Lesson Series reached over 194,000 FFA students providing classroom instruction on What is Sustainable Agriculture, Research and Development, Pre-Production, Sustainable Production, Supply Chain, End Product – Packaging, Marketing and Delivering the Product. The lesson plan series will be translated into Spanish to reach even more students. Valent’s partnership with National FFA supports other key initiatives such as the FFA Living to Serve Program which provides grants to support a service-learning project that spans the entire
Obtaining a quality education is the foundation of improving people’s lives and sustainable development. Target 4.4 aims to substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills for decent jobs and entrepreneurship. As the importance of agriculture continues to be a focus throughout the world, Valent is working at all levels of education to shape ag education to advance sustainable ag, develop future leaders and support this goal. This is especially evident in our partnerships with nonprofit organizations and education providers to scale impact and promote inclusion of ag education.
school year, and SAE grants awarded to students based on financial need to start or expand their supervised agricultural experience. At the 2020 and 2021 National FFA Conventions, Valent participated in the FFA Blue Room where students were provided an inside look at how sustainability is infused within the Agriculture Food and National Resources Value Chain, and also learn about career opportunities. Valent also partners with Agriculture Future of America (AFA) which works to build bridges for college students, fostering engagement and innovation in food and agriculture education. AFA has provided 21,000 leader development experiences to college leaders and young professionals from more than 200 colleges and universities throughout 43 states since its inception in 1996. In 2021, Valent was a key sponsor of AFA’s first AFA Sustainability Institute , a new event designed to provide approximately 50 undergraduate college students with an immersive experience to discuss key issues and career paths in conservation, agriculture and natural resources management.
Valent also continued its annual participation in AFA’s Crop Science Institute , and Leaders Conference , where students and learn more about the ag industry, develop leadership skills and explore career opportunities. As part of its support of Leaders Conference, Valent provides scholarships that enable students to gain access to premier personal and professional development as well as financial assistance for their college education. In 2020, Valent established a partnership with Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) to promote the professional development of minorities in agriculture-related areas through programming, training and scholarships. During FY 2021, Valent sponsored six student members of the University of California, Davis MANRRS chapter to attend the national society’s 36th Annual Training Conference and Career Expo, the largest conference for minorities in agriculture, food natural resources, and related sciences.
SDG-4 Spotlight
Advancing Sustainability Education in the Classroom Valent U.S.A. has partnered with The National FFA Organization to provide teachers across the United States with leading sustainability information and practices through a first-of- its-kind “ Sustainability in Agriculture Lesson Series ” that can be used in both virtual and in- classroom settings. Available as a free resource through the FFA’s educator resources dashboard, the eight- lesson teacher-led series enables middle and high school students to become familiar with sustainable agriculture standards, explore different sustainability processes and practices, learn about emerging trends in the food value chain, and prepare them to be educated agricultural leaders and consumers of tomorrow. The lesson series was inspired by a need from agriculture educators. Teachers wanting to engage students in learning about sustainability had to conduct their own research and create lesson plans from the ground up, sometimes without the insight into how these learnings would best apply to current industry needs.
“Teachers right now need innovation, technology and sustainability at the forefront of their lessons,” said Megan McGrady, senior education consultant in FFA’s programs and events division. “As future growers and consumers, students need to know how it applies to the industry and primes them to potentially work in sustainability in the future. This lesson plan gives teachers the tools to talk about sustainability and what it means for the future of agriculture.” To create the lesson series, a cross-functional team from Valent worked with FFA to outline the lessons and specific activities. The team applied Valent’s experience in sustainability throughout to give teachers and students real-world insight to how sustainability is put in action. To date, the lesson plan has been downloaded 3,500 times and has become a popular resource for teachers as they develop their curriculum for either online or in-class settings.
SDG-5: Gender Equality
At Valent, diversity, gender equality and inclusion are critical to our mission to cultivate and leverage a diverse and inclusive team to serve North American agriculture. Research has revealed that companies and institutions with greater levels of gender diversity achieve better performance. [1] The Valent group is committed to the development and advancement of women in our workplace and our communities, which is aligned with Target 5.5, “ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.” Action Plan for Change: Our DE&I Journey We promote a culture of DE&I among employees through our 5-point Action Plan for Change developed by the Valent Council on Diversity & Inclusion:
1. Develop a diverse talent pipeline: Valent Group Companies Commitment to Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) to support underrepresented minority groups in agriculture and recruit strong diverse talent into the organization. 2. Inclusive Leadership: A training program with leaders to model inclusive practices and be accountable for creating an inclusive environment. 3. Continuous Learning: Annual mandatory training on Unconscious Bias and other D&I topics of importance to the company. 4. Guest speakers: Outside experts that conduct interactive VGC employee forums and dialogues on D&I issues and practices. 5. Assess and commit: VGC D&I survey to understand the voice of the team and implement actions to address feedback.
[1] Hunt, V., Layton, D., & Prince, S. “Diversity Matters.” 2 February 2015, https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/ business%20functions/people%20and%20organizational%20performance/our%20insights/why%20diversity%20matters/ diversity%20matters.pdf . Accessed 25 October 2022.
In 2021, we implemented several key actions based on our 2020 assessment survey and ongoing work to foster a diverse and inclusive culture at all levels of Valent Group Companies.
We also introduced new training programs to help ensure we all have the tools and skills needed to manage and work in diverse teams. These include offerings that focus on inclusive leadership and mandatory unconscious bias training.
To further retain and develop our diverse talent, the Valent group launched a new mentoring program in which we aim to engage 100% of our senior leadership team and 25% of our managers as mentors in a minimum one-year relationship with mentees..
We expanded our number of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) , voluntary, employee-led groups that serve as a resource for their members and the company by fostering a diverse, inclusive work environment aligned with our values, goals and business objectives. ERGs are open to all employees (see highlight story on pages 26-27).
Partnerships • Partnerships with National FFA , AFA and MANRRS support gender equality as they encourage young women to go into agriculture and STEM careers and expand their goals. • Our strategic partnership with MANRRS helps promote the professional development of minorities in agriculture-related areas through programming, training and scholarships. Through MANRRS events such as the Regional Clusters and National Conference, we can engage with student chapters such as UC Davis to provide additional, hands-on opportunities including internships. • In 2021, we continued our partnership with Women in Agribusiness , a non-profit organization that supports women’s career development and advancement in agriculture and helps member companies reach gender parity. • We partner with Cultivating Change , which works to achieve an equitable industry environment for LGBT agriculturist everywhere.
We have published internal goals to significantly increase diverse representation across gender and ethnicity within the Valent group of companies by 2025.
We also further strengthened partnerships with key educational institutions and organizations with greater focus on DE&I.
SDG-5 Spotlight
ERGs: Employees Connecting and Engaging At Valent, ERGs are voluntary, employee-led groups open to all employees that serve as a resource to the company and members by fostering a diverse, inclusive work environment aligned with the values, goals and objectives of the Valent group of companies. Studies have shown that forming ERGs is a diversity and inclusion best practice that offers many benefits including learning, cultural awareness, increased employee engagement, development of future leaders, addressing business challenges, and more. Our first two ERGs were Women of Valent Group Companies (WOVGC) and Valent OnTrack (VOT) , where employees can come together to discuss ideas and opportunities for personal and professional development. Based on feedback from our DE&I assessment survey, we established clear procedures and provided funding to support ERGs and they are now an important part of our diversity & inclusion journey – nearly 300 employees, about 50% of our workforce, participate in an ERG. The newest ERGs have been formed based on various dimensions of diversity including, but not limited to, race, ability/disability, ethnicity, and sexual orientation.
SDG-9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Valent values innovation that matters, not just for out business, but also for society. It reflects Sumitomo Chemical’s philosophy of Jiri-Rita – Our business, for society. Innovation is also central to our vision to be the trusted partner of choice for our customers by integrating biorational, botanical and traditional chemistry innovation, scientific advances, value-added services and expertise. Target 9.4 aims to upgrade infrastructure with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes. In late 2020, we opened our North American Innovation Center that united employees from our California technical center in Dublin and headquarters in Walnut Creek into one state- of-the-art facility. The nearly 100,000 square- foot hub for research allows Valent U.S.A. to bring sustainable agriculture solutions to market with greater speed and effectiveness.
The eco-friendly design is focused on sustainable practices, including energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality. In 2021 we established an incentive program that encourages alternative “green” modes of transportation and started the transition to hybrid fleet vehicles to improve air quality. Target 9.5 calls for enhancing scientific research, encouraging innovation and upgrading technological capabilities in all sectors to increase productivity. Valent has also invested in two state-of-the-art facilities that drive innovation: the Midsouth Agricultural Research Center (MSARC) in Leland, Miss., and the Midwest Agricultural Research Center (MWARC) near Champaign, Ill. These sites enable the company to accelerate discovery and development testing for Valent’s growing portfolio and bring more innovative crop protection and enhancement solutions to growers. Valent and our employees at these
sites are also committed to supporting their local communities through significant outreach and volunteerism efforts. In 2021, we completed a comprehensive set of criteria to define a “Sustainable Solution,” and a process for applying these criteria to current and future Valent products. With this criteria, reviewed SCS Consulting , we are able to capture and document the portfolio of sustainable solutions and help growers with their sustainability challenges. See “The Science of Defining Sustainability Criteria” to learn more. with Halo , an R&D partnering platform where scientists connect directly with companies to solve problems and bring new innovations to market. The platform helps us connect with leading universities, researchers, and start-ups worldwide. We’ve used the platform to identify research partners and establish projects to address soil carbon sequestration, study ecosystem benefits of mycorrhizal fungi colonization, and to identify novel compounds that can bolster our crop protection and crop enhancement portfolios. Partnerships • In 2021 we established a partnership
• As part of our commitment to sustainability and to further integrate sustainability within our business operations, we partner with EcoVadis , a trusted global leader in business sustainability ratings. As part of Sumitomo Chemical, we also are evaluated by EcoVadis. In 2022, our parent company received a gold medal rating from EcoVadis for the third consecutive year and once again earned high ratings in the Environment and Sustainable Procurement categories for its efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
SDG-9 Spotlight
“The process resulted in a straightforward list of sustainability criteria that connects our products to SDGs and creates a method for applying the criteria to current and future Valent products.” “With our third-party review complete, we are now positioned to integrate the criteria within our R&D platform to increase innovative and sustainable solutions within our product pipeline.” She’s proud of Valent parent company Sumitomo Chemical’s legacy and commitment to sustainability. “Consistent with SCC’s philosophy of JIRI-RITA, we’re operating our business in harmony with society and nature.” Leslie Garcia, associate director, regulatory, sustainability, and stewardship, who co- leads the team with Mike Riffle, senior director, field R&D.
The Science of Defining Sustainability Criteria
to the appropriate sustainability pillars. They evaluated products objectively, documenting the credibility of science in the sustainability score. At the center of Valent’s classification system are the easily distinguishable icons that highlight key sustainable practices and attributes of products. The company will use these symbols in a variety of materials — tools the sales representative can use to assist growers and customers in attaining a more sustainable ag operation. To get a third-party review of the criteria, the team partnered with SCS Consulting , a global firm with expertise in helping organizations implement credible sustainability strategies and solutions. Several members of the Valent U.S.A. Sustainable Solutions team have completed SCS Global’s Sustainably Grown training to support the Sustainably Grown Certification among users of Valent products. SCS Consulting completed its review in June and has provided Valent with feedback and recommendations.
Over the past two years, a cross-functional team at Valent U.S.A. has been scrutinizing sustainability from a product and practice perspective. This intricate examination has created an evaluation process with specific criteria to help define “sustainable” solutions across the company’s broad ag product portfolio. The project started by simplifying the three standard pillars of sustainability — social, environmental, economic — into people, planet, productivity. Using the U.N.’s relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as a guide, the experts then examined an extensive library of regulatory reviews by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and peer-reviewed scientific literature, as well as field evaluations by agricultural extension and research services, to identify key product qualities grounded in science. Valent products support many different sustainable agricultural practices for a variety of growing operations. The team scored products across eight distinct criteria, assigned
Leslie Garcia
Associate Director, Regulatory, Sustainability and Stewardship
Mike Riffle
Senior Director, Field R&D
Linking Sustainability Criteria to Sustainable Development Goals The U.N. Sustainable Development Goals are a collection of 17 global goals, designed to be a “blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.” Established in 2015, the SDGs are intended to be achieved by the year 2030.
We enable growers to provide nutritious and affordable food today and to contribute positively to society as a whole.
People
We are committed to developing products and innovative solutions that help growers tackle environmental industry challenges.
Planet
We aim to strengthen food security by supporting sustainable and productive agriculture.
Productivity
SDG-12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Partnerships • We are a founding member of the Ag Container Recycling Council (ACRC) , a not-for-profit organization established in 1992 recognized as the oldest stewardship program in the U.S. Its mission is to conduct research on the acceptable uses of rigid high-density polyethylene high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic agriculture crop protection containers and support the collection and recycling of containers through promotion of cost-effective programs that foster public health and safety, environmental protection, resources conservation, and end-user convenience. ACRC covers 46 states and has collected over 226 million pounds since its inception. • We partner with Field to Market , a collaborative effort to define, measure, and advance the sustainability of food, feed, fiber and fuel production in the United States.
In order to achieve success on SDG 12, society will not only have to use less and waste less, the world’s agricultural systems must be sustainable and efficient. Target 12.2 aims to achieve sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources. Target 12.5 seeks to substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse. Growers use crop protection products to improve the quality and yield of their agricultural crops. They also work to make farming more efficient and improve profitability. Valent and our parent company Sumitomo Chemical provide unique, highly effective products that meet customer needs. We have a dedicated U.S.-wide Sustainable Solutions team that promotes our sustainable solutions portfolio of products and services that contribute to soil health and provide nutritious and affordable food today and for future generations. (See SDG-12 Spotlight article on following page.)
SDG-12 Spotlight
“Valent and Sumitomo are unique in our industry, because we have a long history of significant and balanced investments in marketing and research for both traditional and biorational crop solutions,” said Associate Director, BeckyJo Smith. “A deep commitment to sustainability is at the core of our business, and this dedicated business unit underscores our vision to lead the way in supporting the evolution of sustainable production practices in the agriculture industry.” BeckyJo Smith, Associate Director, Sustainable Solutions
Leading the Way in Sustainable Agriculture
• We engage our network of strategic partners to explore initiatives that promote responsible consumption and reduced food waste. These include CropLife America and CropLife International, Agricultural Retailers Association, National Corn Growers Association, Western Plant Health Association, Rice Foundation and others. Conservation Ag Movement to produce a series of educational videos ( available here ) focused climate-smart practices and innovation to make farm operations more resilient. For factors in particular – water quality, soil health, pollinators and emerging technology – can improve their • In 2021, we advanced our partnership with America’s
The Valent Sustainable Solutions Business Unit is completely dedicated to supporting the industry in the adoption and integration of sustainable production practices for crop protection, productivity and yield enhancement products and technologies. BeckyJo Smith, associate director of Sustainable Solutions, leads a team across the U.S. that promotes our sustainable solutions portfolio of biorational, botanical and conventional products. Smith and her team work hand in hand with industry to provide new tools and information to growers in order to support sustainable food systems. She also represents Valent U.S.A. on the Global Sustainable Solutions Business Unit that focuses on biorational sales and services across Sumitomo Chemical regions around the globe. As a market leader in the delivery of biologically-based crop protection and enhancement solutions, Valent and its parent company, Sumitomo Chemical, have held a long-standing commitment to sustainability and the concept of integrated production practices.
BeckyJo Smith
Associate Director, Sustainable Solutions
This business unit demonstrates the long-standing commitment to sustainability made by Valent and its parent company Sumitomo Chemical, and represents another way the companies are supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
businesses and lower their environmental footprint.
Our People
The need for agriculture never stops, and it takes people to make it happen – people with the skills and knowledge that ensure our products work safely and effectively for our customers. That’s why it’s so important to make sure we find the right talent and create a work environment that allows them to do their best work. At Valent, we do this by paying special attention to what’s important to our employees, and volunteering is an important priority. They volunteer their time to improve the communities where they live and work. We faced many challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but our employees rose to the challenge and supported organizations, particularly those aligned with our priority SDGs related to food, education and the environment. Throughout 2020 and 2021, our employees dedicated approximately 23,000 hours of volunteer service supporting organizations in their communities.
This included volunteering at food banks, organizing food drives, helping at schools, beach clean-ups, and even volunteer firefighting. We are proud of all our employees for all the innovative work they do in support of our agriculture mission, and for dedicating their time and talent to bring positive change to the communities where we live and work.
Our commitment to sustainability is rooted in our culture of safety, compliance and being a company society can trust. It’s also shaped by our commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) with goals to foster an inclusive and safe environment in which we value individual employees’ unique contributions to the success of our team. Our team continues to make significant progress in advancing sustainable agriculture across North America, contributing to our priority SDGs, and fostering a culture of innovation and sustainability in harmony with the environment and society. But we know this work is never done. As the field of sustainable food production continues to evolve, we remain committed to acting with urgency and integrity to provide innovative solutions that enhance food, health and the environment in harmony with society. We are excited to continue on this journey with our partners and communities.
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