Leverkusen - Prestigious ratings organization CDP (formerly the 'Carbon Disclosure Project') has once again declared Bayer to be one of the leading international companies in the climate category, awarding it the highest rating of 'A'.

CDP looked at more than 8,000 companies, focusing on how they deal with the challenges of climate change at a strategic level. Only around 2 percent (179 companies) achieved an A rating. Institutional investors increasingly expect companies to pursue a strategy geared toward sustainability, and view the CDP rating as a relevant basis for investment decisions.

'We're very pleased that we have continuously received very good ratings from the CDP since 2005 and that Bayer is once again included in the Climate A List,' says Werner Baumann, Chairman of the Board of Management of Bayer AG. 'As a leading innovation company, we aim to become carbon neutral in our own operations by 2030. We will therefore drive forward a reduction in greenhouse gases throughout our entire value chain.'

Paul Simpson, CEO of CDP, says: 'Congratulations to the companies that achieved a position on CDP's A List this year, for leading in environmental performance and transparency. The scale of the business risks from the climate emergency, deforestation and water insecurity are vast - as are the opportunities from addressing them - and it's clear the private sector has a vital role to play at this critical time. The A List companies are leading the market in corporate sustainability, tackling environmental risks and setting themselves up to thrive in tomorrow's economy.'

Protecting the environment and addressing climate change have been high priorities at Bayer for many years. 'We are now ramping up our efforts in line with the Paris climate agreement considerably,' reports Matthias Berninger, Head of Public Affairs and Sustainability at Bayer.

CDP is a non-profit organization that each year compiles the world's most comprehensive publicly accessible collection of corporate data on aspects such as the climate, and evaluates it to create a ranking. According to its own data, 525 institutional investors, representing USD 96 trillion in assets, back CDP and factor its ratings into their investment decisions. Besides ESG investors, who specialize in the environmental, social and governance performance of companies, these ratings are also increasingly attracting the attention of large mainstream investors.

About Bayer

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to benefit people by supporting efforts to overcome the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development, and the Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2018, the Group employed around 117,000 people and had sales of 39.6 billion euros. Capital expenditures amounted to 2.6 billion euros, R&D expenses to 5.2 billion euros.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

Contact:

Dirk Frenzel

Tel: +49 214 30-29908

(C) 2020 Electronic News Publishing, source ENP Newswire