Foreword
Commitment
Social commitment: A part of Bayer’s corporate culture
 Education and research |
HIV/AIDS |
| The environment |
Sleeping sickness |
| Health care and social needs |
Sports and culture |
| Tuberculosis |
Global commitment |
Social responsibility has always been an integral part of our corporate culture. Bayer began supporting social and cultural institutions at the end of the 19th century. What began with the Wuppertal and Leverkusen sites has long since been expanded on a global basis: Today we support about 300 projects around the world that are designed to improve the situation of people and the environment. In 2005 we provided approximately EUR50 million in funding for these projects. Our activities in this area focus on education and research; environment; health and social programs; and sports and culture.
Education and research: Promoting scientific knowledge
As a research-based company, Bayer places particular emphasis on promoting intellectual curiosity among young people and supporting the sciences. For example, we provide schools with reagents and instructions for experiments in chemistry classes. We also give schoolchildren in the areas surrounding our production sites an opportunity to independently conduct scientific experiments dealing with chemical and biological themes under professional guidance.
As part of the educational initiative “Making Science Make Sense,” which was founded more than ten years ago in the United States, Bayer employees help to design curricula in elementary schools. The Bayer experts use vivid experiments to try and awaken the children’s enthusiasm for science. In honor of these charitable activities, Bayer at the beginning of 2006 became the first company headquartered outside the United States to receive the presidential “Ron Brown Award for Corporate Leadership.” The program has since been established in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Japan as well.
Various Bayer foundations regularly award scholarships to students and illustrious prizes to outstanding scientists.
The environment: Enhancing young people’s awareness
Environmental protection and the responsible use of natural resources are essential for sustainable development. We aim to strengthen this awareness among young people in particular, as they will determine the future. In the context of the partnership we formed in 2004 with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), we have initiated numerous youth environmental projects around the globe. In 2005, for example, unep and Bayer organized a Global Environment Summit in Bangalore, India, that was attended by 150 young environmental activists from all regions of the world. For the scientific congress “Eco-Minds,” which took place in October 2005, students from a wide range of disciplines met in the Philippine capital Manila to seek practical solutions for environmental problems in the fast-growing Asia Pacific economic region.
Further highlights of Bayer’s partnership with unep in the past two years were the annual international children’s painting competition accompanying World Environment Day, for which in 2005 more than 10,000 children from 60 countries submitted paintings on the theme “Green Cities,” and the Young Environmental Envoy program, which also takes place annually. In November 2005, about 50 dedicated young people from Asia, Latin America, Africa and Europe visited Germany for one week at Bayer’s invitation to learn first-hand about modern environmental protection. In addition to these joint project activities, Bayer provides unep with EUR1 million annually in funding and additional material donations as the first private-sector partner to UNEP in the area of youth and the environment.
Health care and social needs: Initiatives in newly industrializing and developing countries
More than one billion people currently do not have access to clean drinking water. This is one of the major global problems of our time. To find new ways of exploiting freshwater sources and to explore water treatment options and ways of ensuring the responsible use of our most valuable resource, National Geographic Germany and Bayer founded the “National Geographic Global Exploration Fund” in 2005. From nearly 100 applications, Bayer and an international commission of experts appointed by National Geographic selected nine projects to which it will provide support. The funds from the Global Exploration Fund will enable the participating scientists from the German-speaking countries to pursue innovative ideas for conserving drinking water and begin field research in the Andes, in Africa, on the Indian subcontinent and in Siberia, among other locations. Having supported more than 8,000 research projects since 1888, the Washington, D.C.-based National Geographic Society is the world’s largest charitable scientific organization. Bayer is the first private-sector partner to enter a theme-based collaboration with National Geographic outside the United States.
In the area of preventive health care, we work closely with various international institutions to support initiatives aimed at fighting pandemic diseases such as tuberculosis (TB), HIV/AIDS and African sleeping sickness.
Education and research: Promoting scientific knowledge
As a research-based company, Bayer places particular emphasis on promoting intellectual curiosity among young people and supporting the sciences. For example, we provide schools with reagents and instructions for experiments in chemistry classes. We also give schoolchildren in the areas surrounding our production sites an opportunity to independently conduct scientific experiments dealing with chemical and biological themes under professional guidance.
As part of the educational initiative “Making Science Make Sense,” which was founded more than ten years ago in the United States, Bayer employees help to design curricula in elementary schools. The Bayer experts use vivid experiments to try and awaken the children’s enthusiasm for science. In honor of these charitable activities, Bayer at the beginning of 2006 became the first company headquartered outside the United States to receive the presidential “Ron Brown Award for Corporate Leadership.” The program has since been established in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Japan as well.
Various Bayer foundations regularly award scholarships to students and illustrious prizes to outstanding scientists.
The environment: Enhancing young people’s awareness
Environmental protection and the responsible use of natural resources are essential for sustainable development. We aim to strengthen this awareness among young people in particular, as they will determine the future. In the context of the partnership we formed in 2004 with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), we have initiated numerous youth environmental projects around the globe. In 2005, for example, unep and Bayer organized a Global Environment Summit in Bangalore, India, that was attended by 150 young environmental activists from all regions of the world. For the scientific congress “Eco-Minds,” which took place in October 2005, students from a wide range of disciplines met in the Philippine capital Manila to seek practical solutions for environmental problems in the fast-growing Asia Pacific economic region.
Further highlights of Bayer’s partnership with unep in the past two years were the annual international children’s painting competition accompanying World Environment Day, for which in 2005 more than 10,000 children from 60 countries submitted paintings on the theme “Green Cities,” and the Young Environmental Envoy program, which also takes place annually. In November 2005, about 50 dedicated young people from Asia, Latin America, Africa and Europe visited Germany for one week at Bayer’s invitation to learn first-hand about modern environmental protection. In addition to these joint project activities, Bayer provides unep with EUR1 million annually in funding and additional material donations as the first private-sector partner to UNEP in the area of youth and the environment.
Health care and social needs: Initiatives in newly industrializing and developing countries
More than one billion people currently do not have access to clean drinking water. This is one of the major global problems of our time. To find new ways of exploiting freshwater sources and to explore water treatment options and ways of ensuring the responsible use of our most valuable resource, National Geographic Germany and Bayer founded the “National Geographic Global Exploration Fund” in 2005. From nearly 100 applications, Bayer and an international commission of experts appointed by National Geographic selected nine projects to which it will provide support. The funds from the Global Exploration Fund will enable the participating scientists from the German-speaking countries to pursue innovative ideas for conserving drinking water and begin field research in the Andes, in Africa, on the Indian subcontinent and in Siberia, among other locations. Having supported more than 8,000 research projects since 1888, the Washington, D.C.-based National Geographic Society is the world’s largest charitable scientific organization. Bayer is the first private-sector partner to enter a theme-based collaboration with National Geographic outside the United States.
In the area of preventive health care, we work closely with various international institutions to support initiatives aimed at fighting pandemic diseases such as tuberculosis (TB), HIV/AIDS and African sleeping sickness.
Tuberculosis:
In October 2005, Bayer HealthCare and the international product development partnership the Global Alliance for tb Drug Development (TB Alliance) signed an agreement concerning a clinical study program aimed at investigating whether Bayer’s antibiotic moxifloxacin (Avalox®) can significantly reduce the current six-month duration of treatment for tuberculosis. About 2,500 tuberculosis patients on four continents will be admitted to the study program. Should the trials prove successful, plans call for the Bayer product to be made available to patients in developing countries at affordable prices. Phase III of the study is scheduled to be completed in 2010.
HIV/AIDS:
In Mozambique, Bayer HealthCare has provided the Catholic organization “Sant’ Egidio” with testing instruments and organized training courses to help with the introduction of the “DREAM” project to treat those infected with HIV. Reliable diagnosis is of the utmost urgency in Africa, as 90 percent of those infected are not aware that they carry the virus. In China, Bayer is working to achieve better aids prevention through information campaigns for the public. At Tsinghua University in Beijing, the company at the end of 2004 established the first course of study in China for health journalism, with a focus on HIV/AIDS. Furthermore, as a member of the “Global Business Coalition against HIV/AIDS,” we want to help achieve a responsible approach worldwide to this disease on the part of companies.
Sleeping sickness:
Nearly 60 million Africans are threatened by African sleeping sickness, which is transmitted by the tsetse fly. In order to effectively treat these patients, Bayer HealthCare is making available its drug product Germanin® to the World Health Organization (WHO) free of charge, initially between 2002 and 2007. We also advocate a global “Integrated Sleeping Sickness Initiative” supported by numerous private and public institutions in order to contain a further outbreak of the disease in Africa.
In October 2005, Bayer HealthCare and the international product development partnership the Global Alliance for tb Drug Development (TB Alliance) signed an agreement concerning a clinical study program aimed at investigating whether Bayer’s antibiotic moxifloxacin (Avalox®) can significantly reduce the current six-month duration of treatment for tuberculosis. About 2,500 tuberculosis patients on four continents will be admitted to the study program. Should the trials prove successful, plans call for the Bayer product to be made available to patients in developing countries at affordable prices. Phase III of the study is scheduled to be completed in 2010.
HIV/AIDS:
In Mozambique, Bayer HealthCare has provided the Catholic organization “Sant’ Egidio” with testing instruments and organized training courses to help with the introduction of the “DREAM” project to treat those infected with HIV. Reliable diagnosis is of the utmost urgency in Africa, as 90 percent of those infected are not aware that they carry the virus. In China, Bayer is working to achieve better aids prevention through information campaigns for the public. At Tsinghua University in Beijing, the company at the end of 2004 established the first course of study in China for health journalism, with a focus on HIV/AIDS. Furthermore, as a member of the “Global Business Coalition against HIV/AIDS,” we want to help achieve a responsible approach worldwide to this disease on the part of companies.
Sleeping sickness:
Nearly 60 million Africans are threatened by African sleeping sickness, which is transmitted by the tsetse fly. In order to effectively treat these patients, Bayer HealthCare is making available its drug product Germanin® to the World Health Organization (WHO) free of charge, initially between 2002 and 2007. We also advocate a global “Integrated Sleeping Sickness Initiative” supported by numerous private and public institutions in order to contain a further outbreak of the disease in Africa.
When the Brazilian government in 2003 asked for assistance in the fight against hunger and poverty, Bayer immediately pledged its support. We work together with the non-governmental organization Agencia Mandalla in northeastern Brazil, which helps many families to install irrigation systems – also known as Mandallas – for more efficient agricultural use. In the short-term, the harvest yields cover the families’ food needs. Over the medium term, however, the farmers expect to produce enough crops to be able to secure their livelihood by selling the surplus produce.
In addition to providing support for long-term projects, Bayer makes regular spontaneous donations either to supply health organizations with medicines or quickly come to the aid of those affected by natural disasters.
Recent donations have included:
Sports and culture: Improving the quality of life
Support for sports is also an important tool of Bayer’s social responsibility around the world. In Germany, for example, the company makes an important contribution to the promotion of youth, recreational, competitive and disabled sports by supporting 27 sports clubs with a total membership exceeding 50,000. The company also supports 38 recreational and cultural societies. Our Cultural Affairs Department provides a diverse concert and theater program. At numerous sites outside Germany, too, “Bayer Clubs” give both employees and neighbors the opportunity to participate in sports and cultural activities.
In addition to providing support for long-term projects, Bayer makes regular spontaneous donations either to supply health organizations with medicines or quickly come to the aid of those affected by natural disasters.
Recent donations have included:
- 12.2 million units of the drug Kogenate Bayer® with a total value of over EUR9 million that the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) has provided to patients in developing countries
- 500,000 tablets of Lampit® that the World Health Organization (WHO) has deployed in the fight against Chagas’ disease, an illness that is widespread in Central and South America
- 45,000 blood glucose measurement systems and monetary donations totaling nearly US$ 4 million for victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and the surrounding area
- Monetary and material donations totaling EUR13 million for victims of the tsunami in southeast Asia at the beginning of 2005
Sports and culture: Improving the quality of life
Support for sports is also an important tool of Bayer’s social responsibility around the world. In Germany, for example, the company makes an important contribution to the promotion of youth, recreational, competitive and disabled sports by supporting 27 sports clubs with a total membership exceeding 50,000. The company also supports 38 recreational and cultural societies. Our Cultural Affairs Department provides a diverse concert and theater program. At numerous sites outside Germany, too, “Bayer Clubs” give both employees and neighbors the opportunity to participate in sports and cultural activities.
Social responsibility and sustainability are integral to Bayer’s corporate policy. The company puts this commitment into practice through numerous initiatives around the world. Below you will find a selection of logos for our various activities. Information on the sustainability indices which list Bayer is given here.
Upper row from left: Bayer has a long tradition of commitment to the concept of Responsible Care. Since 1997 the company has been a member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and was a founding member of the “econsense” forum for sustainable development of German business and the United Nations Global Compact initiative.
Middle row from left: Since 2004 Bayer has been an organizational stakeholder of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). Bayer has recently intensified its partnership with UNEP. Bayer is also the first non-U.S. company to partner National Geographic in a scientific cooperation project to protect drinking water.
Lower row from left: Bayer supports the Brazilian Abrinq Foundation to exclude child labor and plays an active role in the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS. It also cooperates with the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development and is an official partner of the “Germany – Land of Ideas” initiative.
Upper row from left: Bayer has a long tradition of commitment to the concept of Responsible Care. Since 1997 the company has been a member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and was a founding member of the “econsense” forum for sustainable development of German business and the United Nations Global Compact initiative.
Middle row from left: Since 2004 Bayer has been an organizational stakeholder of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). Bayer has recently intensified its partnership with UNEP. Bayer is also the first non-U.S. company to partner National Geographic in a scientific cooperation project to protect drinking water.
Lower row from left: Bayer supports the Brazilian Abrinq Foundation to exclude child labor and plays an active role in the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS. It also cooperates with the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development and is an official partner of the “Germany – Land of Ideas” initiative.
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