Challenges

Our challenges

With population figures on the rise, the world is facing a number of major challenges. Climate protection, world health and safeguarding food supplies are becoming ever more pressing issues. True to the spirit of its mission statement “Bayer: Science For A Better Life,” the Group is making an important contribution to identifying effective solutions for dealing with these challanges. These also form the basis of our sustainability reporting – this year, climate protection, health care, water and food are focus issues of our current Sustainable Development Report.

The United Nations estimates that the world’s population will exceed nine billion by the middle of the 21st century – that’s around 2.3 billion more than the current figure.

With population growth particularly rapid in developing and emerging nations, local infrastructures and the ecological equilibrium are being put under increasing pressure. At the same time, the population in most industrial nations is aging, generating an imbalance in the social structures. In addition, changes in consumption patterns and the massive demand for energy caused by the global spread of urbanization are putting more pressure on natural resources. According to the International Energy Outlook (IEO), energy consumption in Asia alone will increase almost fourfold in the period from 1990 to 2030.

Global energy consumption has grown dramatically in the last few decades and will continue to increase significantly in the future. Demand in up-and-coming Asia is set to almost quadruple by 2030 compared to 1990.

Integrated approach to tackling complex challenges

Global solutions, like global problems, are closely interlinked. Climate change can only be tackled with the most advanced energy-saving technology and sustainable energy generation.

Effective climate protection is also a key issue when it comes to safeguarding the world’s food supplies, as climate change increases the likelihood of extreme weather conditions such as heatwaves, heavy downpours and tropical storms. In some regions such as the Sahel, large expanses of land essential for feeding the population are experiencing desertification, while heavy rain falls are destroying crops and flooding villages in other areas. Unless we see an increase in agricultural productivity and ensure water is used efficiently, it will be impossible to provide sufficient food and water for the world’s growing population.

In turn, poverty, poor nutrition and dirty water are some of the primary causes of disease and inadequate health care in many parts of the world. In addition, poverty often triggers wastage of local natural resources. With the consequences including deforestation, soil degradation and increasingly arid conditions, this situation further exacerbates the problems posed by climate change and shortages of food and water.

As an inventor company, we are staying true to the spirit of our mission statement “Bayer: Science For A Better Life” and focusing our know-how and innovative strength on finding answers to the most pressing issues of our time. Bayer is a company with a very broad spectrum of activities and interests and, as such, we have the advantage of being able to observe the interconnections and reciprocal influences that exist between each of these global challenges, and ensuring these are incorporated into our solutions systematically.

Over 6.7 billion people live on Earth today. Ensuring food supplies in the light of continued dynamic population growth is a major challenge. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) calculates that global agricultural production would have to double in the next 50 years to feed what would by then be a global population of over nine billion people.

Responding to megatrends

It is also in our own interests to tailor our portfolio to the challenges the future will bring. After all, as a company, we are part of this society and our business activities are influenced by the trends, needs and goals created by it. That’s why we believe a sustainable and successful approach to business means bringing our innovative strength to bear in the areas where our core skills can be put to the best possible use, particularly the fields of health, food and high-quality materials.

Our portfolio already contains a number of promising solutions. New processes and materials from Bayer are helping to boost the energy efficiency of production processes, buildings and vehicles, and are unlocking new market potential for renewable energies. With the number of people in the world on the up and a trend toward aging populations in some regions, our drug research and commitment to ensuring the global provision of medical care is taking on an ever more important role. What’s more, by making family planning more accessible, we are also working to improve the rights and health of women worldwide. As the rising global population also needs to be fed, we are making our contribution toward increasing agricultural yields and promoting sustainable methods of cultivation by developing innovative crop protection products and integrated crop protection solutions and bringing about advances in biotechnology. Due to its many years of experience in corporate environmental protection, Bayer has the cutting-edge technologies needed to protect drinking water and other similarly valuable resources effectively. One other factor is of special relevance, particularly in the current difficult economic climate: Due to its high earning power, the company is generating growth, jobs and income in many parts of the world, thus contributing to social stability and security.

Creating transparency

In addition to addressing these megatrends on a strategic level, we also want to provide clear, transparent reporting. That includes open discussion of the challenges we face and the provision of detailed information on our goals, strategies and performance. To that end, our Sustainable Development Report each year contains not only a performance report, but also features several focus issues currently deemed to be of particular significance in the eyes of the general public and from the company’s own perspective. This year, those issues are “Innovations for climate protection”, “Global acces to medicines” and “Responsible and efficient use of water”.