Goal 15
Life on Land
Target 15.1
By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements.
Impact of stakeholders Fertilizers that play an important role in creating and preserving global carbon sinks: by increasing productivity on arable land, they prevent deforestation. Additionally, they increase the carbon-absorbing capacity of soil, improving the ratio of carbon to nitrogen (C:N) and maximizing biomass production.
Management approach
People in charge of environment protection were appointed at production units of the enterprises. At the level of production units, which are the main sources of environmental impact, and at the level of the enterprise, there is a procedure in effect for identifying and assessing risks and opportunities. Based on the results of the risk assessment, we determine the measures that are necessary to bring the risks to an acceptable level in terms of significant environmental aspects.
Contribution
At the Group level, comprehensive programmes are being implemented that join the efforts of international organisations and farmers under programmes aimed at preserving terrestrial ecosystems, soil cover and efficient use of natural resources.
To resolve this task, our Company:
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helps farmers and the entire industry to understand how to improve the quality of soil management without accumulating pollutants in it;
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protects and restores terrestrial ecosystems and promotes their efficient use;
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works actively on the international level, in particular, conducts a joint project on sustainable agriculture together with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, and also supports the Global Soil Partnership;
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promotes and popularizes the best agricultural practices by introducing a service model for servicing.
Commitments and Targets
One of the key goals for sustainable development is to protect the world’s ecosystems and reduce the burden on the environment.
As part of the new five-year plan, the Company intends to develop its competitive advantages, while keeping the position of the world’s largest supplier of environmentally friendly phosphorus fertilizers for the agro-industrial complex, and to expand participation in the programs aiming to protect health, the environment, ensure food safety and combat soil degradation, thus setting an example for a harmonious approach to strategic development.
Our Results
In 2019, the Company, together with the FAO (UN Food and Agriculture Organization) launched a major project to develop farmers’ skills in sustainable soil management and to create regional soil laboratories (RESOLAN) in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. The project is aimed at improving the quality and increasing the frequency of soil analyses.
In 2021:
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FAO agreed to extend their partnership for the development of sustainable agriculture until 2023. PhosAgro Group’s total contribution to the project will reach USD 2.4 mln by 2023;
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PhosAgro and the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) announced at the conference the launch of a project to create a carbon farm in the Vologda region. The project is a pilot in the joint work to create a system of regional monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions;
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In December 2021, the IFA working group recognized the Company’s extended experience in the use of improved phosphogypsum certified in Russia in the agricultural activity as the best practice. In 2019, a total of 4.1 thousand tons were sold. And in 2021, it was already 10 times more—42 thousand tons;
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For a number of years, PhosAgro Group has been working to preserve biodiversity and replenish biological resources. In 2020, PhosAgro started developing comprehensive biodiversity protection programmes in partnership with research institutions. The effort is aimed at assessing and restoring environmental conditions across the Company’s footprint and establishing its priorities in protecting biodiversity based on indicator species monitoring. In 2021, the Company completed the development of comprehensive biodiversity protection programmes for the Cherepovets and Volkhov facilities.
We are actively engaged in scientific and expert cooperation with the European Sustainable Phosphorus Platform (ESPP) on the issues of developing the European agenda for sustainable use of phosphate resources. We regularly submit research papers to circulate them among more than 200 European organizations.
In November 2021, Safer Phosphates (where PhosAgro is a member) and OPERA, a research centre of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Italy), published the white paper “Cadmium Limits in Phosphorus Fertilizers”. This research focuses on cadmium and its negative effects on soils, food and the human body.
More detailed information about all main results of the Company’s activities in the area of preserving terrestrial ecosystems is presented in the Integrated Reports.