Corporate Responsibility

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Key Activities

Human Rights Resources

Major Human Rights Dates

Useful Links

Monsanto's Commitment to
Human Rights

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Monsanto's strategy is to embed the Human Rights Policy and implementation into existing global business processes. Monsanto's phased and systemic approach to implementation of our Human Rights Policy includes communicating the policy to employees and our business partners, creating operational guidelines and a management information system, training sessions, and audits as a means to verify compliance. Although this approach will require time and effort, we believe that it is necessary to achieve our goal of sustainable compliance. Outlined below are highlights of some of our key activities and performance indicators.

Employee Communication and Training

In August 2007, Monsanto took an important step toward raising awareness among employees of the nine elements of the Human Rights Policy by developing an employee guidebook to educate employees about the Monsanto Human Rights Policy. The guidebook was translated into 27 languages and distributed to Monsanto employees around the world.

To view the entire employee guidebook, click here: Human Rights Guidebook

In addition to the guidebook, Monsanto has developed an online training tool for employees, also translated into 27 languages, which features an overview of the company's Human Rights Policy, resource information about how to report questions and concerns, and a quiz to ensure employee understanding.

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Letters to Monsanto Business Partners

As an agricultural and technology company committed to human rights, we believe that we have a unique opportunity to protect and advance human rights. We have a responsibility to consider not only how our business can benefit consumers, farmers, and food processors, but how it can protect the human rights of both Monsanto’s employees and our business partners’ employees. Monsanto has developed an ongoing process to educate our business partners about the importance of our Human Rights Policy and to identify gaps between human rights standards and current business partner practices. Click below to read our business partner letter in 27 languages.

All files are downloadable PDF documents.

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Special Projects


Addressing Labor Issues in India
Monsanto has a human rights project team focused on the eradication of child labor at Monsanto's hybrid cotton seed production locations in India. When Monsanto began hybrid cotton seed production in India – with the purchase of Emergent Genetics in 2005 – Monsanto staff employed a series of initiatives to eliminate child labor on contract grower farms, including specific contractual language prohibiting child labor in seed production and awareness raising programs for growers and communities.

As a result of these initiatives, the company has made significant progress and can now report that 2007 child labor rates dropped to less than 1% on sites that produce hybrid cotton seeds for Monsanto in India. The company operates in the spirit of continuous improvement and is committed to improving workplace conditions on all existing and future Monsanto production sites in order to respect and protect human rights.

Child labor is an extremely complex problem. Solutions to this problem will require the coordinated efforts of not only multinational companies like Monsanto but domestic companies, their business partners and suppliers, local and international NGOs, and local and state governments in India. In addition to commitment from these various stakeholders, it will take time to resolve. Monsanto is committed to a collaborative, systemic, and sustainable resolution to the issue of child labor in agricultural production.

Grower Training in India
Monsanto conducts training programs to educate growers in India on Monsanto Human Rights Policy. The key objectives of the grower training are to make growers aware of legal requirements with regard to local and federal laws on child labor, bonded and forced labor, minimum wage payments and to sensitize the growers about "No Child Labor" employment in cotton seed production. Farmers are also supplied with and taught about the proper usage of personal protective equipment while working in the fields.

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Stakeholder Engagement

The human rights policy was developed after an 18-month dialogue with key business leaders and external stakeholders. Monsanto continues to engage with select stakeholders to gather information to inform its decisions and to share its practices with others. In accordance with the Monsanto Pledge, we continue to strive to conduct our human rights activities with integrity, open dialogue and transparency.

To contact the Monsanto Human Rights Department, send an email to: rights.human@monsanto.com

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Measuring Our Progress

As Monsanto continues to implement our human rights policy, we will work to achieve measurable results and monitor our progress. We currently track the following key metrics that tie to our primary human rights activities:

  • Progress towards the Elimination of Child Labor in Hybrid Cotton Seed Production in India and Child Labor by Production Region

    • Contract grower farms are routinely audited throughout each growing season. Results are verified by independent, third-party auditors.


      As of April 2009


      As of April 2009

  • Number of Contract Growers Trained

    • Contract growers are trained regarding the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and Monsanto’s policies prohibiting the use of child labor.


      As of April 2009

  • Number of Employee Guidebooks Distributed

    • Monsanto tracks internal distribution of the Human Rights Employee Guidebook to employees.


      As of April 2009

As our activities expand, we plan to publish our progress on additional metrics.

For more information, please see the attached slides. (.pdf 743K)

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