Editor's note: Included in December PCT was the feature "Sustainable Development: An Idea Whose Time Has Come," which reviewed the movement towards sustainability. In the following online extra find out about Bayer's efforts towards sustainability through its partnership with North Carolina State University in the creation of a sustainability chair.
In an illustration of its growing commitment to sustainable development, Bayer CropScience has presented Dr. Johnny Wynne, North Carolina State University’s dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, with a $1 million endowment to establish a Chair of Sustainable Development. The presentation was made by Dr. Pascal Housset, Head of the Business Operations unit, Bayer Environmental Science, at a symposium entitled, “Stewards of the Future: Research for Global Sustainability Tomorrow,” held earlier this year on the NCSU campus.
“We are honored to have Bayer CropScience as a collaborator in our research efforts to find solutions to the complex problems that issues like global climate change, population growth, and food and water shortages present,” Wynne said. “Under Pascal Housset’s leadership, Bayer Environmental Science has discovered new and innovative ways to marry business and the environment, to the benefit of both.”
Vital to the sustainability culture that Housset has worked hard to cultivate at Bayer Environmental Science, is the notion that partnering – in this case with academia – is critical to success. “We cannot achieve our goals alone. That is why the research expertise of North Carolina State makes the university an ideal choice,” he said. “It is within our power to achieve great success for our company while effecting critical change that will benefit society as a whole. It is simply essential to protect the world in which we live and work. Together with the university, we will take great strides in that direction.”
“It (partnering) is an important part of who we are,” Wynne said. “Here at NCSU we have a long history of such collaborations in the public and private sector.” Those collaborations have produced more than 70 start-up companies and a NCSU portfolio of more than 600 patents. NCSU partnership activities also include 61 corporations and government agencies that include more than 1,500 employees who work alongside NCSU researchers.
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What is Sustainable Development? Bayer Environmental Science is serious about its commitment to sustainable development, but in an era of rampant “greenwashing” what does the phrase mean? “Sustainable development is a commitment to living and conducting business in a way that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs,” according to the company. “It is a globally accepted approach to sustaining economic growth and protecting our planet and its resources, and improving the quality of life for its current and future generations.” “Protecting Tomorrow…Today” is the vision that defines our contributions to global sustainability, according to Pascal Housset, Head of the Business Operations unit, Bayer Environmental Science. It is the “driving principle” behind strategic, operational and cultural activities. “It is a concept we have practiced informally for many years, and one that is essential to embrace as a foundation for our future,” he said. “It relates not only to the products and services we offer, but to the very way we, our customers and suppliers conduct business.” To ensure the long-term success of this sustainability initiative, Housset said, “We will strive to create a sense of sustainability in our daily work, so that it becomes ‘a simple act of life’” for every associate at Environmental Science. |
The sustainability culture that Bayer Environmental Science shares with NCSU is reflected throughout the company internally and externally through various business practices that include the development of new products that reduce the company’s carbon footprint and promote plant health. “As the world becomes more conscious of the climate change crisis, demand for products that meet the dual needs of business and the environment increases,” Housset said. “Events such as the NCSU symposium provide a wonderful opportunity to enlist the help of the academic and research communities to support those dual objectives. All of us at Environmental Science are excited about this new chapter in our collaboration with NCSU.”
In conjunction with its growing relationship with Bayer CropScience, North Carolina State University also announced that Dr. Tom Rufty, former director of the Center for Turfgrass Environmental Research and Education, has been named the first Bayer Environmental Science Professor of Sustainable Development. “This is a great honor for me personally and for all that are involved in our research programs,” Rufty said. “I’m proud to be a part of the contributions toward environmental research and sustainable development that we are making here at NCSU.”
The new Chair of Sustainable Development, endowed by Bayer CropScience, will help to further the longstanding collaboration between NCSU and Bayer. Bayer ES’s 281-acre field research and training center, where broad-based studies relating to structural pest control industry are conducted, is located in nearby Clayton, N.C.
“Continuing our work with NCSU is a major part of our Protecting Tomorrow…Today (PTT) sustainability initiative,” said Dr. Nick Hamon, Vice President, Product Development and Global Sustainable Development lead. “I look forward to working with Dr. Rufty in developing practical solutions to environmental issues that affect our daily lives.”
To learn more about Bayer’s sustainability efforts, visit www.bayer.com.
Explore the December 2009 Issue
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