Agricultural machinery giant AGCO – parent firm for brands including Massey Ferguson, Valtra, Challenger and Fendt – released its 2020 Sustainability Report this week.

The report outlines a range of goals and commitments, such as its target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across its manufacturing operations by 20% by the end of 2026.

The Sustainability Report, the first published by AGCO since 2014, follows AGCO`s announcement in October 2020 of a global sustainability function.

It comes on the heels of its new “farmer-first strategy”, which was unveiled earlier this month and includes sustainability as a key component.

AGCO is focusing its sustainability efforts in four key areas:
  • Soil health and soil-carbon sequestration, with a pledge to develop new sensors and other technologies to improve soil health;
  • Decarbonisation of facilities and products, such as attaining 60% use of renewable energy in internal operations by 2026 and delivering a fully electric Fendt tractor by 2025;
  • Employee health, safety and well-being, including a commitment to improve its recordable injury rate year on year;
  • Animal welfare, which includes the formation of an advisory group of animal welfare experts to help guide the company’s efforts.

Commenting, Eric Hansotia, AGCO’s chairman, president and CEO, said: “AGCO’s new vision and purpose reinforce our commitment to rapid innovation and the evolution of precision agriculture solutions to help farmers produce more with less environmental impact.

“The agriculture industry has the opportunity—and responsibility—to think big and act bigger. Our new sustainability strategy will be the launch pad for focused creativity and innovation in the years to come.”

Louisa Parker-Smith, the company’s director of global sustainability, added: “AGCO has made significant progress in designing innovative products, creating operational efficiencies, and providing agronomic expertise to farmers.

“With our new, focused approach, we are committed to building on these strengths to create even more value for farmers while committing to help and protect our environment.”