Grade summary

The Mosaic Company demonstrates a slight upward trend with a C- grade and 13 points, positioning itself in the middle of US company results. The Mosaic Company maintains a clean record with zero SIN List substances and zero persistent chemicals in the EU and US markets. However, transparency could be improved as only a quarter of its sold production is known to the public.

The Mosaic Company assesses the environmental sustainability of its fertilizers and nutrients, but it’s unclear if these assessments methodically address intrinsic hazards. The company reports on products related to recycled content and reducing nutrient loss but does not advertise safer alternatives on ChemSec’s Marketplace. The absence of clear design-out plans for Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs) in new products is noted. In addition, The Mosaic Company lacks a phase-out plan and does not have a circular policy or concrete circular Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). However, the company’s practice of extracting sulphur from waste streams generated in crude oil refining is commendable for recycling an inorganic compound.

How did we come to this score?

Opportunities for improvement

1. Market safer alternatives
   The Mosaic Company does not have any safer alternatives evaluated by independent third parties in its product portfolio. Safer alternatives replace the use of hazardous substances and are crucial in order to put an end to chemical pollution. The company should, therefore, start producing safer alternatives or market existing ones on an independent third-party platform. A good place to advertise is ChemSec’s Marketplace, where buyers and suppliers can find and market safer alternatives.

2. Increase circularity
   The chemical industry finds itself at the beginning of the value chain. Therefore, it has a responsibility to act fast against the ever-growing scarcity of our planet’s resources. But The Mosaic Company receives one point for circularity since we were unable to identify any circular products, processes or strategies. Nor did we see a decrease in hazardous waste or increased use of recycled hazard-free feedstock or biobased material. The Mosaic Company should start by identifying its current production and use of circular products and processes, and then specify the share of revenue that is derived from such products. The company should also develop and present a circularity strategy, including a commitment to increase the share of revenue derived from circular products.

3. Increase transparency
   Much is still unknown about The Mosaic Company’s production of hazardous chemicals. At least when it comes to public information. In order to allow a comprehensive global evaluation, The Mosaic Company should disclose the share of revenue and production volume of hazardous chemicals (or products that contain them). This information should cover all operations globally. This is particularly important since only 25% of the company’s sales are in the EU/US, where some degree of chemical transparency exists.

Category breakdown