A message from ICL’s Chairman and CEO
It is our pleasure to present you with ICL’s comprehensive CSR Report for 2019. Over the past several months the basic foundations of our society have been under intense pressure worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic is testing every aspect of our daily lives, from our healthcare systems and means of employment to our global food supply chains and agricultural practices. ICL’s focus on contributing to global food security is now more vital than ever.
While we are bound to face additional challenges as this crisis evolves, ICL’s Sustainability vision for 2030, articulated in late 2019, serves us well as we navigate our way through the current uncertainty. We are guided by a renewed commitment to maintain ICL as an employer of choice through fair and diverse employment; supply our customers with more sustainable products and solutions; engage in best and ethical practices for our corporate governance; conduct sustainable and responsible procurement; and to make a positive impact through community engagement where we operate, while acting safely and responsibly. To ensure that we remain on track, we have set ambitious goals for major global challenges such as climate change, renewable energy, circular economy and contributing to the community. Our annual CSR Report is designed to update you and our many other stakeholders regarding the substantial progress that we are making towards achieving these goals.
The perspective we have gained from the COVID-19 crisis provides unexpected insights into our recent actions and achievements. We are growingly recognized as a responsible company, committed to sustainable practices. ICL is the only Israeli company included in the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index and is continuously rated higher as an Employer of Choice by BDI. We are proud to have achieved an A- CDP ranking for our commitment to climate action. We were also awarded the highest Bloomberg ESG score of any global fertilizer producer, the highest ‘Platinum+’ ranking in the Israeli CSR Maala ranking, and a first-time inclusion in the FTSE4Good index for companies recommended for responsible investment.
Beyond these accolades and the progress they represent, ICL has achieved far beyond what we could have imagined just a few years ago in a broad range of efforts. For example, almost all ICL Europe sites have now transitioned to 100% renewable electricity. We have achieved significant reductions in air emissions through implementing new technological solutions and through our new and highly efficient Sdom power plant. An important milestone was reached just prior to the publication of this report, as the Ashalim creek natural reserve, closed in 2017 due to the accidental release of phosphogypsum liquid from ICL Rotem, was declared safe and re-opened by the Israeli Nature and Parks Authority, following a multi-year cleanup and monitoring effort in which ICL took a leading role.
Innovation has become a main theme for ICL, and an organizational focus for 2020 and beyond. We continued to develop existing and new products. For example, in crop nutrition, we are continuing to expand our family of Polysulphate based products, as demand for this low-carbon footprint solution grows among sustainable and organic farmers. We also introduced a new growing medium made from fiberwood waste, a sustainable replacement to peat, which is a sensitive and dwindling natural resource. We expanded our alternative meatless protein business, to meet growing global demand. We are also producing safer flame retardants, and new, healthier innovative personal hygiene solutions. We continued to invest in digital technology for sustainable high-yield agriculture, including an acquisition of a digital services platform for agriculture, completed in February 2020. The recently acquired platform collects and structures manual and machine-generated farm data, instantly creating agile and return-focused plans for planting, fertilization and purchasing decisions that are streamed to farm machinery for effortless on-field application. The acquisition expands and strengthens ICL’s offering of agro-digital services and our capability to develop innovative solutions to generate higher agricultural yields and more efficient and sustainable agricultural practices. This further highlights our commitment to helping humanity achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger, as we navigate through challenging and uncertain times.
At the forefront of our achievements are over 11 thousand dedicated employees that we wish to thank, as they deserve all the credit for our achievements.
We urge you to explore the full CSR report and hope the information contained within it will assist you in gaining a better and more complete understanding of ICL’s commitment to our planet, our people, the communities in which we operate and to our increasing number of stakeholders. As always, we at ICL look forward to receiving your comments, questions and insights and look forward to reporting back to you on our progress in our next report.
Pleasant reading!
