FMC Corporation publishes 11th annual sustainability report

FMC Corporation (NYSE: FMC) has published its 2021 sustainability report, For Generations to Come. It presents the company's progress on key global commitments including net-zero emissions, sustainable innovation, workforce diversity and safety.

"This year's report demonstrates how we are committing to greater change across our global company – from net-zero greenhouse gas emissions to deeper engagement with farmers around the world," said Mark Douglas, FMC president and chief executive officer. "We are proud of the work our employees have done over the past year to advance sustainability objectives while delivering critically-needed crop protection products to support sustainable agriculture, globally."

Anchored in the three pillars of FMC's global sustainability platform, the 2021 report highlights the company's efforts to protect, innovate and engage to leave the world a better place for the next generation.

"With increasing concerns over global food security, FMC's role in helping farmers produce food, feed and fiber for a growing world population is more vital than ever," said Karen Totland, vice president and chief sustainability officer. "In 2021, we continued to expand our leading portfolio of innovative solutions that help farmers grow more today while protecting the environment for tomorrow. It's a commitment we are proud to make."

A LEADING BIOLOGICALS PORTFOLIO

As an innovation-driven company, FMC constantly seeks new ways to enhance agricultural productivity while protecting the health of our planet. At FMC, innovation means thinking beyond the current landscape to pioneer new agro-technologies that better protect the biodiversity and natural resources at the core of our global food system. As part of this, FMC continues to expand its portfolio of biologicals, which offer farmers effective, sustainable solutions to maximize yields on existing farmland.

Biologicals represent a diverse group of crop protection (biopesticides) and stimulant products (biostimulants and biofertilizers) derived from living organisms and naturally-occurring compounds.

An example of a biopesticide FMC is launching this year in soybeans in the U.S. is Zironar™ biofungicide/bionematicide. Zironar™ is a biofungicide and bionematicide with the added benefits of a biostimulant. Applied at planting, it has been shown to increase root branching, which strengthens plants and helps them use water more efficiently. Zironar™ biofungicide/bionematicide will be available for use in cotton, corn and sugar beets in 2023.

FMC’s growing portfolio of biostimulants provides muchneeded tools to farmers facing increasingly difficult growing conditions due to climate change. In addition to improving soil health, biostimulants increase crops’resilience to environmental stresses, including extreme temperatures, salinity and drought. Solutions like FMC’s Furagro™ Legend organic fertilizer help farmers in India to improve crops’ response to drought. The product works at a very low dose rate and is powered by SURGE Technology (Selective Upregulation of Gene Expression) that improves a plant’s gene activation responsible for various plant functions. FMC plans to make this solution available to growers across multiple countries in Asia and Europe starting in 2023.

The need for sustainable solutions like biologicals is growing by the day and FMC is preparing to meet that need, investing in new partnerships and research and development capabilities to accelerate innovation in the global biological market.

Since 2015, FMC has launched more than 25 products across 20 countries, surpassing revenue of $200 million in 2021. FMC expects to have more than 10 product launches in 2022 alone. Additionally, FMC is planning to submit registrations and Experimental Use Permit applications for more than 30 new biologicals.

With the pace at which FMC is introducing new biological solutions around the world, FMC is excited to launch Biologicals by FMC.

Biological products are an integral part of the future – for healthy soils, healthy crops and increased yields. FMC is leading the field with best-in-class biostimulant and biopesticide products and modern solutions for sustainable farming for generations of growers.

FMC’s aim is to be the responsible change-maker, leading the way with an integrated approach where biologicals go hand-in-hand with synthetics. To get there, FMC has turned to nature for the “what,” and to our history and our people for the “how,” with innovative ways to unite them and form a new generation of powerful biologicals.

DISCOVERING THE NEXT BREAKTHROUGH IN BIOLOGICAL CROP PROTECTION

Enzymes

In 2021, FMC began a strategic collaboration with Novozymes to develop biological enzyme-based crop protection products. Enzymes as biocontrol are an untapped segment in agriculture, and FMC is excited to bring this technology to growers around the world. It can play an essential role in increasing agricultural sustainability by introducing new modes of action to combat hard-to-control diseases and pests.

This partnership is helping us develop products with new modes of action and high levels of performance and stability. Enzyme-based biocontrol technology will work well integrated with synthetics in a comprehensive pest management program.

Innovation in Microbe-Based Solutions

In 2021, FMC and the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), an institutional leader in biotechnology research, received a 26 million Danish kroner (~3.7 million USD) grant from the Danish Innovation Funds for their Smarter AgroBiological Screening (SABS) project. The grant provides funds to improve technologies for discovering and developing microbe-based biological crop protection solutions.

DTU has expertise in microbiology, genomics, metabolomics, automation and artificial intelligence, as well as a large and diverse collection of microorganisms that will be used for the project. Together, FMC seeks to develop a new paradigm for screening extensive collections of microorganisms by combining automatic functional assays and characterization methods with laboratory-based evolution and artificial intelligence. The SABS project is focused on discovering and developing new biofungicides for controlling leading fungal diseases in cereals.

PROMOTING BETTER FARMING THROUGH TECHNOLOGY

Precision and Digital Agriculture

A new generation of farmers, equipped with smartphones, field monitoring systems and GPSguided equipment, is shaping the future of agriculture globally. Precision and digital agriculture technologies help farmers better protect their crops while using less energy, water and traditional inputs. For example, FMC’s 3RIVE 3D^® application system is a precision application technology that uses 90 percent less water than alternative systems and can reduce carbon emissions from product application by up to 80 percent. FMC is investing significantly in these technologies to sustainably increase agricultural productivity around the world.

With a focus on crop care, FMC is developing digital solutions that advance sustainable agriculture by identifying pest infestations before they become a problem. Through the use of sensors, drones and satellites, farmers receive field-level insights that help them better understand the scope and scale of pest pressure so they can more effectively treat it.

FMC’s Arc™ farm intelligence platform uses data and machine learning to predict pest pressure up to a week in advance. These insights allow farmers to precisely target the infestation, reducing the frequency of applications, which can help farmers conserve water and reduce their carbon emissions. Simply put, FMC’s precision agriculture solutions help growers use less to grow more.

Additional information about FMC's sustainability progress and goals, including an online copy of the 2021 report, is available at fmc.com/sustainability.