Water is an essential input to produce crop nutrients and flows across the full agriculture value chain. It is a critical resource for society, including the communities and ecosystems where Mosaic does business in North America.
Mining and fertilizer manufacturing are water-intensive endeavors. Water is a valued input to food production and economic activity, and many natural water ecosystems neighbor the company’s North America operating footprint. For Mosaic to do its part in putting food on the global table, we must use and interact with water responsibly.
United Nations’ World Water Day theme for 2021 is Valuing Water, a sentiment Mosaic supports. “Today we’re taking water-focused action on two fronts, first by launching a campaign for our operational employees across North America encouraging water reduction activities to support our goal of reducing freshwater usage by 20% per product tonne by 2025,” said Mosaic’s Senior Vice President of Government and Public Affairs, Ben Pratt. “At the same time, we’re celebrating partners whose impressive work is conserving water habitat, promoting nutrient stewardship and restoring watersheds.”
Using Water Wisely
Mosaic is hosting its first Water Week, positioned to educate and inspire employees to think differently about water in their daily work and the risks and opportunities it presents to their industry. “Last year, we set 13 bold ESG performance targets, several focused on our interactions with water,” says Pratt. “Making measurable progress will take efforts from every employee paired with investment in opportunity and innovative projects. The Use Water Wisely campaign is a part of these continued efforts championed by Sustainability Leads at all of our mining and manufacturing facilities.”
Water Week will include a Virtual Water Round Table discussion for employees featuring internal water subject matter experts and a compelling presentation from our long-time partner, The Nature Conservancy, to hear more about a range of water-related topics like risks to industry from climate change and the importance of nutrient stewardship for farmers using fertilizer products.
New and Extended Water Partner Funding
The Mosaic Company and Mosaic Company Foundation are using World Water Day to recognize our new and continued partners leading water-based projects and efforts across North America. In Florida, two organizations are receiving more than $100,000 in combined new funding. In Canada, partnerships are being extended with five organizations for a total $400,000 investment. For more details click here.
“In 2021, we’ve already committed $1.7 million plus in-kind support to water-focused initiatives. Our total water investments to date are nearly $29 million, with over 189 partnerships in North America,” adds Pratt.
Potential new interested partners in North America are encouraged to visit www.mosaicco.com/community to apply for additional 2021 grant funding dollars for water initiatives. Mosaic employees can also leverage the new Employee Giving Program to donate to their favorite water organization, and the company will match their contribution dollar-for-dollar up to $2,000.
