[Market Watch] Sustainable Development:An Idea Whose Time Has Come?

While environmental and social responsibility are not new ideas, the momentum toward sustainability has been building. Earlier this year, PCT attended a symposium at

North Carolina State University that addressed this topic, providing insights about how the pest management industry can increase its sustainability efforts in a rapidly changing world.

Making predictions about the future is notoriously difficult and unreliable, but as business leaders in the pest management industry we must look at global trends, both societal and cultural, to understand how our industry needs to evolve in a constantly changing environment," warns Dr. Nick Hamon, vice president, Product Development and Global Sustainable Development lead, Bayer Environmental Science, Research Triangle Park, N.C.

One of the key trends in business today is sustainable development. Yet Hamon contends sustainability is much more than simply a trend. "It is an issue that has become a mandatory requirement of business planning, both operationally and culturally," he said. "While environmental and social responsibility are not new ideas, the momentum toward sustainability in our industry in particular has been building in response to major global issues facing mankind and our industry today, including climate change, food insecurity and water shortages." A brief review of each of these issues follows:

Climate change. While acknowledging that the issue of climate change has its fair share of skeptics, Hamon said the majority of scientists support the notion that global warming is real and will have a major impact on the world in the years ahead, likely raising the mean global temperature by 2 to 5 degrees by 2100. Regardless of the ongoing debate about the causes of global warming, public awareness "has never been greater, especially in North America," where Hollywood, the media and politics have combined to keep the topic top of mind for millions of Americans, according to Hamon. "The unusual mix of Hollywood and politics in Al Gore’s movie, ‘An Inconvenient Truth,’ combined with the popular press fixation on the topic, guarantees this issue will continue" to generate public debate.

Food insecurity. Another force driving the sustainability movement is the emergence of global food insecurity. If projections are correct, the world will need to produce as much food in the next 40 to 80 years as it has in the past 12,000 years combined and on significantly less land. In addition, demand for energy could be up as much as 100 percent, "increasing competition between food, feed, fiber and biofuels," according to Hamon, further driving the need for sustainable development.

Water shortages. Climate change also likely will result in water shortages across the globe that will have a major impact on food production, as well as specialty markets like the pest control and turf industries. "Water concerns are already impacting the lawn and landscape and golf industries," Hamon said, "further focusing attention on how and where we use this valuable resource."

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Editor’s Note: In August, PCT highlighted Arrow Exterminators’ STEPS Total Protection System. An acronym for Sustainability Through Environmental Practices and Solutions, STEPS "has the potential to transform our industry, to go beyond pest control, and to contribute to creating a healthier planet and communities," observed Arrow President & COO Emily Thomas Kendrick.

This month, in an attempt to better understand how manufacturers are responding to the burgeoning sustainability movement, PCT profiles Bayer Environmental Science’s sustainability efforts as outlined at a North Carolina State University symposium held earlier this year titled, "Stewards of the Future: Research for Global Sustainability Tomorrow."

Speakers at the event included Johnny Wynne, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, North Carolina State University; Patrick Moore, chairman and chief scientist, Greenspirit, and co-founder, Greenpeace International; and Pascal Housset, head of the Business Operations Unit, Bayer Environmental Science. Event sponsors affiliated with the specialty chemical and agricultural markets included Bayer ES, BASF, Monsanto, SePRO and Syngenta Crop Protection.
 

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Poll Shows Commitment to
Sustainability Important to Consumers

Genuine green commitment on the rise, but few businesses talking about it.

Americans continue to place a high value on a business’s commitment to sustainability, despite their concerns about the economy, according to recent Capstrat-Public Policy Polling survey. Eighty- three percent of respondents said a company’s commitment to sustainable business practices is "very" or "somewhat" important in their purchasing decisions.

But the poll of 923 adults also suggests that many businesses are not yet associating their brands with sustainability. Nearly half (46 percent) of respondents said they rarely or never hear their employers talk about sustainability even though nearly a quarter (24 percent) say that sustainability is a top priority in their company’s business decisions.

"It appears that many businesses are missing an opportunity to tell customers and employees about their own commitment to sustainability," said Capstrat CEO Ken Eudy. "While there have been questions about corporate ‘greenwashing’ where companies are overstating their true dedication to green practices, this poll indicates that many businesses have a bona fide commitment that they aren’t communicating clearly to customers and employees."

Eudy says this is a missed opportunity — especially considering that even amid an economic downturn, a majority of poll respondents (60 percent) said they would pay more for what they consider to be a green product. Other notable Capstrat-Public Policy Poll results include:

• Seventeen percent of poll respondents said their employers report on sustainability efforts to employees frequently.
• Fifty-four percent of poll respondents believe their companies’ recycling programs are their most important green activity.
• Ten percent of Americans consider environmental friendliness the most important factor in purchasing decisions.

The national survey on corporate social responsibility, conducted by Public Policy Poling this summer, polled 923 adults. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.

(Source: Capstrat-Public Policy Polling, Raleigh, N.C.)

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WHY BE CONCERNED? Given the daunting nature of these global challenges, why should pest management professionals be concerned about food, water and sustainable development, if not from a personal perspective, at least from a professional perspective? "Clearly, these global issues will affect the research focus and practices of the food and agricultural industries and will undoubtedly have an unexpected impact on the pest management industry," Hamon said.

Many of the chemical tools available to pest management professionals today were developed for agriculture and the focus of agricultural research is already turning more towards biotechnology and abiotic stress management (increased tolerance of plants to climatic variability) and away from biotic pest management (control of insects, diseases and weeds), according to Hamon. "However, even with such a change in emphasis, it is likely that agricultural research from R&D-based manufacturers like Bayer will continue to provide new and innovative tools for the PMP to use in fighting urban pest problems and improving human health."

However, those evolving technologies are threatened by anti-pesticide groups and an increasingly chemophobic public, according to Hamon. "When looking at global trends at the PMP level, we cannot ignore the threat of the anti-pesticide lobby on the pest management and turf and ornamental businesses," he said. "Our industry is challenged daily by anti-corporate, anti-pesticide, anti-biotechnology activists." These groups are well-funded, media savvy, politically influential, and "perhaps most concerning of all," Hamon said, "they are not required to support their position scientifically. Instead, they trade on sensationalism and emotion, often irrational emotion."

Hamon said anti-pesticide activists have done "an excellent job" of discrediting the pest management industry, "without realizing or acknowledging the outstanding role the pest management industry has played in helping improve human health and the environment. Such efforts serve to frighten and shift attitudes among consumers, creating pressure on retailers and lawmakers to react. The results of this anti-pesticide hysteria can be seen in Europe and Canada already, with state and provincial bans on pesticide products that have served us well for many decades."

The result of this misinformation, according to Hamon, is "an increasingly ‘chemophobic’ public that doesn’t want pests in their home or food, but at the same time doesn’t approve of traditional pesticides," resulting in the growth of what are popularly referred to as "green" pesticides.

Yet one justifiably could argue that the pest management industry has been ahead of the sustainability curve thanks to its extensive use of targeted treatments in the form of bait technologies, highly active chemistries, cradle-to-grave product stewardship, and broad acceptance of IPM products and principles. The industry simply has failed to communicate that message effectively, according to Hamon. "We have done a poor job communicating the fact that the pest management industry has been moving toward a more sustainable way of doing business for many years. We have a great deal to celebrate from our past successes in being guardians of public health," he said.

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What is Sustainable Development?

In an era of rampant "greenwashing," what does "sustainable development" 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 Bayer Environmental Science. "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.

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THE ROLE OF SUSTAINABILITY. Often lost among the regulatory activity and public debate, however, is the simple truth that the need for pest management is driven by population, living standards, disposable income and climate, all issues relating to the broader topic of sustainability, which is why it’s important — or should be important — to the pest management industry, according to Hamon.

"Although we’ve played a role, our industry still has much to do in terms of embracing sustainability," he said. "You may ask, ‘Why should we care?’ It is not so difficult to see why sustainable development needs to become part of everything we do; reducing our environmental impact will protect our natural resources for future generations; improving efficiency will make us more competitive and meet consumer needs; and focusing on sustainability will benefit plant and human health."

Hamon says as a global leader in environmental science, Bayer CropScience has a responsibility to lead by example. That’s why its Business Operations unit Bayer Environmental Science has launched its "Protecting Tomorrow…Today (PTT) global sustainability initiative, an effort Hamon is leading. "It (PTT) is the driving principle behind many operational and cultural initiatives that benefit our environment and our society, while also protecting the future of our business," Hamon observed. "We are focusing our resources on developing products and services designed to benefit people and improve the quality of life. We are focusing our product benefits on sustainability, reducing our footprint, fostering environmental stewardship and developing people and partnership to the benefit of society."

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Sustainability: Why Should You Care?

There are a number of both personal and business reasons PMPs may want to consider implementing a company-wide sustainability program, according to Dr. Nick Hamon, Vice President, Product Development and Global Sustainable Development lead. These include:

• We live on this planet: Reducing our environmental impact will protect our natural resources for future generations.
• We do business on this planet: Improving efficiency will make us more competitive and meet customer needs.
• We share this planet with others: Focusing on sustainability will benefit plant and human health.

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WHAT IS YOUR ROLE? While a corporate commitment to sustainability is a good first step in addressing this critical issue to the long-term health of the planet, Hamon said every person can play a role by embracing sustainability with "simple acts of life," for instance turning off computers when not in use; recycling glass, plastic and paper products; lowering the thermostat; and using public transportation.

"These personal shifts — simple acts of life — however, are not enough," he warned. "Sustainability encompasses much of what we do as pest management professionals and must therefore also be an integral part of how we conduct business in order to succeed as an industry." PMPs and industry product suppliers alike must be committed to proper product stewardship. "Working through sound product stewardship principles is integral to safeguarding our environment," he said. "By maintaining good stewardship and good practice in all areas of operations, all of us maintain the integrity and sustainability of the industry."

Manufacturers also must continue to provide the industry with high-quality products that effectively control pests while minimizing the environmental footrprint. "According to the World Health Organization (WHO), some 30 percent of pesticides marketed in developing countries for agricultural and public health use do not meet internationally accepted quality standards," Hamon said. "R&D-based manufacturers such as Bayer spend an estimated $270 million and as many as 10 years of research to bring each new active ingredient to market. Teams of formulation chemists spend years researching the best way to formulate these active ingredients to get them efficiently to the pest targets, optimizing their performance while minimizing exposure to the public and the environment."

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What You Can Do to Make a Difference

In an interdependent world, sustainability is everybody’s business. What can you do as an individual PMP to make a difference? You can:

Learn

• More about sustainability
• What you/your company can do/is doing
• How we can contribute to sustainability

Get involved

• Drive industry-wide initiatives
• Change mindsets and work habits
• Find ways to make a difference in what you do, every day

Become ambassadors

• Help others in the pest management industry to better understand our contribution to sustainability
• Think about what you can do to have a positive impact…then act!

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Hamon cited the example of Maxforce cockroach baits, which altered the way PMPs perform cockroach control, helping to successfully address the issue of cockroach-related asthma. "In the U.S. alone, it is estimated that more than 30 million are affected by asthma, nine million of them children, with staggering health care-related costs. Independent university research has demonstrated that life-threatening allergen levels can be reduced below clinically relevant thresholds through the use of baits alone to control cockroaches in homes," he said. "This is a great example of the profound impact on public health achieved by modern pest management."

Bayer CropScience also continues to research effective solutions to control malaria throughout the world. For example, research has shown bed nets treated with pyrethroids can significantly reduce disease transmission over untreated nets and new polymer technology can dramatically improve the residual performance of treated nets, even under a regular washing regimen, saving thousands of lives around the globe. In addition, Bayer is providing financial support in local communities to support science education through a program called the Bayer Science & Education Foundation.

Clearly, the issue of sustainability is here to stay, but as the pest management industry addresses this important topic it must ask itself a number of questions, according to Hamon:

"Is the impact we have on the environment sustainable for our generation, for the next generation, for the ones after that follow?

Are we using energy in ways that will ensure an equally energy-rich future for our children and grandchildren?

Is the good we do so unassailably clear that it can withstand misguided social and legislative pressures brought on by activists and well-meaning individuals who are woefully misinformed?

Are we doing enough in product stewardship and quality control?

In short, does our industry’s performance — the benefits we provide — clearly outweigh the actual and perceived negative impacts we may have on the world — and society — around us? And, if not, what are we doing about it?"

"Our industry is committed to developing and using innovative approaches to prevent disease and enhance the quality of life as well as improve plant health to positively impact our environment. The need for high quality and professional pest management has never been so great," Hamon observed.

In closing his speech, Hamon cited the words of former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, a longtime advocate of sustainable development. "The key challenge is to turn the concept of sustainable development into a daily reality for all (of) the world’s people," he said.

Editor’s note: PCT magazine will continue to report on this topic in 2010. If your firm has a sustainabilty or green effort you’d like us to know about, please send details of your program, as well as high-resolution photos or logos, to jdorsch@giemedia.com for possible inclusion in a future issue.
 

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EXECUTIVE SPOTLIGHT

Hamon in the ‘Hot’ Seat

A leading researcher talks about the pest management industry’s role in promoting the benefits of sustainability.

Editor’s Note: PCT magazine sat down with Dr. Nick Hamon, Vice President, Product Development and Global Sustainable Development lead, Bayer ES, at a sustainability symposium held earlier this year at North Carolina State University titled, "Stewards of the Future: Research for Global Sustainability Tomorrow." Excerpts from that interview follow. Additional coverage of the event appears as Online Extras on PCT’s Web site, www.pctonline.com.

PCT: "Green" pest management is a popular topic of discussion in the pest management industry. How would you define the word "green" as it relates to Bayer ES?

Hamon: As a leader in the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative solutions in pest management, Bayer Environmental Science is closely involved in all evolving and emerging technologies. Defining the word "green" has become very complex, particularly with the "greenwashing" we are now seeing in our industry and every other industry that wants to lay claim to being more environmentally friendly than the rest. One might reasonably claim, however, that the pest control industry has been moving in a "green" direction for many years with its extensive use of targeted treatments in the form of bait technologies and highly active low-dose chemistries, as well as through IPM programs and extensive training and stewardship provided by R&D-based companies such as Bayer.

PCT: If that’s the case, how has Bayer ES chosen to address this challenging issue, an issue that may ultimately define the future of the industry?

Hamon: We at Bayer Environmental Science prefer to focus on "sustainable development" rather than "green." Bayer ES has a long-term commitment to sustainable development, whereby the proper balance of economic (prosperity), social (people) and environmental (planet) considerations are maintained. What exactly is "green?" Hundreds of millions of dollars and many years are spent developing our active ingredients and formulations that help control insect pests and help protect property and public health, and these products undergo intensive study before they are even registered by EPA. Our goal is to help pest management professionals ensure good living conditions and improve the quality of life by preventing or minimizing the hazards associated with pests, particularly those that transmit diseases. We already consider our products "green" but are continually working to bring new solutions that exceed our high social, environmental and economic standards.

PCT: What is driving the trend toward sustainability?

Hamon: I think it has taken a number of years for us to come to the realization of the value our industry brings to the public beyond killing bugs. As an industry, we provide disease control, protect human health and enhance the quality of life, but that’s not a message we have been particularly good at communicating. The media has not portrayed us particularly well and we have not defended ourselves particularly well. Rather than talking about our product features, we should be talking about the benefits we bring to the industry.