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Archer Daniels Midland

OVERALL

Owned
USA
Rating
Praises, some criticism

Agribusiness

Turns crops such as corn, oilseeds, wheat and cocoa into food ingredients, animal feeds, and agriculturally derived fuels and chemicals.

Archer Daniels Midland Company   USA     website         

> About the Ratings

Company Assessment

PRAISE CRITICISM INFORMATION
Archer Daniels Midland Company
Environment CDP Forests Score of B-
In 2019, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) asked companies to provide data about their efforts towards removing commodity-driven deforestation and forest degradation from its direct operations and supply chains. Responding companies are scored across four key areas: disclosure; awareness; management; and leadership. This company received a CDP Forests Score of B-.
Source: CDP (2019)
Environment CDP Climate Change Score of B
In 2019, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) asked companies to provide data about their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change risk. Responding companies are scored across four key areas: disclosure; awareness; management; and leadership. This company received a CDP Climate Change Score of B.
Source: CDP (2019)
Social CDP Water Security Score of B-
In 2019, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) asked companies to provide data about their efforts to manage and govern freshwater resources. Responding companies are scored on six key metrics: transparency; governance & strategy; measuring & monitoring; risk assessment; targets & goals; and value chain engagement. This company received a CDP Water Security Score of B-.
Source: CDP (2019)
Business Ethics 66/100 S&P Global ESG Score
This company received an S&P Global ESG Score of 66/100 in the Food Products category of the 2019 SAM Corporate Sustainability Assessment, an annual evaluation of companies' sustainability practices. The rankings are based on an analysis of corporate economic, environmental and social performance, assessing issues such as corporate governance, risk management, environmental reporting, climate strategy, human rights and labour practices.
Source: S&P Global (2019)
Social 22/100 in KnowTheChain Benchmark
In 2018 KnowTheChain benchmarked 120 large global companies in the ICT, Food & Beverage, and Apparel & Footwear sectors on their efforts to address forced labour and human trafficking in their supply chains. This company received a score of 22/100.
Source: KnowTheChain (2018)
Social Human Rights Benchmark
The 2019 Corporate Human Rights Benchmark assessed 200 of the largest publicly traded companies in the world from the Agricultural Products, Apparel, Extractives and ICT Manufacturing sectors on 100 human rights indicators. This company's score was in the 20-30 band range. The overall average score was a disappointing 24%.
Source: CHRB (2019)
Business Ethics CEO Pay Ratio of 285:1
In 2019 the median pay for a worker at this company was US$63,981. The CEO was paid 285 times this amount. Exorbitant CEO pay is a major contributor to rising inequality. CEOs are getting more because of their power to set pay, not because they are increasing productivity or possess specific, high-demand skills. The economy would suffer no harm if CEOs were paid less (or taxed more). In contrast, the CEO-to-typical-worker compensation ratio was 20-to-1 in 1965 and 58-to-1 in 1989.
Source: AFL-CIO (2020)
Environment Palm oil supply chain
This agribusiness giant buys palm oil sourced from pristine forests which are clear-cut and burned to accommodate the expansion of palm oil plantations, contributing heavily to global climate change, species extinction, and the displacement of Indigenous and local communities. [Listed under Information due to age of report]
Source: RAN (2008)
Environment Palm Oil Deforestation and Child Labor
ADM's major forays into new markets, including cocoa and palm oil, are raising concerns. They center on the impacts of the global food conglomerate's supply chain, and on charges of complicity in forced child labor and massive deforestation. [Listed under Information due to age of report]
Source: CorpWatch (2010)
Social Child slavery
Anti-Slavery International is calling on cocoa traders Cargill, ADM and Barry Callebaut to increase their efforts to end child slavery in the industry, particularly in the Ivory Coast. These big multinational commodity trading companies buy cocoa sourced from Ivorian cocoa farms where children in slavery are frequently found, and export it to the global brands which make and sell chocolate worldwide. [Listed under Information due to age of report]
Source: Anti-Slavery International (2010)
Business Ethics Excessive CEO pay
As You Sow's 2020 report, 'The 100 Most Overpaid CEOs', reveals the 100 most overpaid CEOs from USA's 500 largest public companies (as determined by the S&P 500 list). This company's CEO, Juan Luciano came in at number 36 on the list, having been paid US$19,637,534 in 2019. According to the report, "Most CEOs have come to be grossly overpaid, and that overpayment is harmful to the companies, the shareholders, the customers, the other employees, the economy, and society as a whole."
Source: As You Sow (2020)
Business Ethics Sustainable Agriculture Initiative member
This company is a member of the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform, the main food industry initiative supporting the development of sustainable agriculture worldwide. Created by Nestle, Unilever and Danone in 2002, the SAI Platform is a non-profit organization to facilitate sharing, at precompetitive level, of knowledge and initiatives to support the development and implementation of sustainable agriculture practices involving the different stakeholders of the food chain.
Source: SAI Platform (2019)
Business Ethics Sedex member
This company is a member of the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange (Sedex), a not-for-profit, membership organisation that leads work with buyers and suppliers to deliver improvements in responsible and ethical business practices in global supply chains. Tens of thousands of companies use Sedex to manage their performance around labour rights, health & safety, the environment and business ethics.
Source: Sedex (2018)
Business Ethics Sustainability claims
This company has sustainability claims on its website in the areas of responsible sourcing, compliance and ethics, innovating sustainable materials and progress tracking.
Source: company website (2020)
Environment 45% in Forest 500 Rankings
The Forest 500 identifies, ranks, and tracks the governments, companies and financial institutions worldwide that together could virtually eradicate tropical deforestation. Rankings are based on their public policies and commitments and potential impacts on tropical forests in the context of forest risk commodities (palm oil, soy, beef, leather, timber and paper). This company received a score of 45%.
Source: Forest 500 (2019)
Social Modern Slavery statement
California, the UK and Australia have all enacted legislation requiring companies operating within their borders to disclose their efforts to eradicate modern slavery from their operations and supply chains. Follow the link to see this company's disclosure statement.
Source: Modern Slavery Registry (2017)
Business Ethics 54.9% in Newsweek Green Ranking 2017
This company received a score of 54.9/100 in the Newsweek Green Ranking 2017, which ranks the world's largest publicly traded companies on eight indicators covering energy, greenhouse gases, water, waste, fines and penalties, linking executive pay to sustainability targets, board-level committee oversight of environmental issues and third-party audits. Ranking methodology by Corporate Knights and HIP Investor.
Source: Newsweek (2017)
Business Ethics 52.5% at JUST Capital
JUST Capital polls Americans every year to identify the issues that matter most in defining just business behaviour. For their 2021 rankings the public identified 19 issues, which are organised under the headings Workers, Communities, Customers, Shareholders and Environment. JUST Capital then define metrics that map to those issues and track and analyse the largest, publicly traded U.S. companies. This analysis powers their rankings, in which this company ranked 334th of 928 companies, and 16th of 35 Food, Beverage & Tobacco companies.
Source: JUST Capital (2020)
Information OpenSecrets.org profile
OpenSecrets.org tracks the influence of money on U.S. politics, and how that money affects policy and citizens' lives. Follow link to see this company's record of political donations, lobbying, outside spending and more.
Source: Open Secrets (2014)

> About the Icons

Company Details

Type Public company
Revenue US$64.3 billion in 2018
Employees 32,300 in 2016
Subsidiaries ADM Australia Pty Ltd 

Food and feed ingredients

Food and feed ingredients made from corn, soy, wheat and cocoa.


Wilmar International Ltd (20% owned) 

Agribusiness, especially palm oil

World's #1 palm oil trader. World's #1 palm biodiesel manufacturer. Asia's largest agri-business group. One of the largest plantation companies in Indonesia/Malaysia. Run by Khoon Hong Kuok. Supplies palm oil to multinational companies such as Unilever, Nestle and Cargill. Bought CSR's sugar and renewable energy business in 2010, and Goodman Fielder in 2015.


  - Goodman Fielder Ltd 

Food and beverage company

Founded in Tamworth NSW in 1909. Goodman Fielder was Australasia's largest listed food manufacturing company, however the company was delisted from the ASX in 2015 when it was acquired for $1.3 billion by the world's largest palm oil trading company, Wilmar International, and Hong Kong investment company First Facific. They manufacture their products in almost 60 plants across Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and New Caledonia. Wilmar became full owners in 2019.


  - Wilmar Sugar Australia Ltd 

Sugar

Australia's #1 sugar processor and refiner (#8 globally). Owns and operates eight sugar mills in Queensland, processing more than half of Australia's raw sugar. Australia's largest producer of sugar-based ethanol and renewable energy from biomass. Sold by CSR to Wilmar in July 2010. Previously known as Sucrogen.

Contact Details

Address Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Website www.adm.com

Products / Brands

Goodman Fielder
Atlantic Bakery Bread
Buttercup Bread
Cornwells Vinegar
Cornwells Pickles, Chutney & Relish
Country Life Bread
Country Split Bread
Crisco Cooking Oil
Defiance Flour & Bread Mix
Defiance Pudding & Custard
Donna Hay Cake Mix
ETA Cooking Oil
ETA Salad Dressing/Mayonnaise
ETA Tomato/BBQ Sauce
ETA Butter & Margarine
Flinders Bread
Frymasta Butter & Margarine
Gold'nCanola Cooking Oil
Gold'nCanola Butter & Margarine
Helgas Bread
Helgas Flat Bread
Holbrooks Pickles, Chutney & Relish
Kream Flour & Bread Mix
La Famiglia Bread
Lawson's Bread
Logicol Butter & Margarine
Meadow Lea Butter & Margarine
Mighty Soft Bread
Molenberg Bread
Nature's Fresh Bread
Olive Grove Australian Extra Virgin certified Australian Extra Virgin certified  Olive Oil
Olive Grove Butter & Margarine
One Night in Mexico Mexican
Pampas Frozen Desserts/Fruit
Pampas Frozen Pastry
Paul Newman's Own Pasta Sauce
Paul Newman's Own Salad Dressing/Mayonnaise
Pavlova Magic Cake Mix
Pavlova Magic Pudding & Custard
Praise Salad Dressing/Mayonnaise
Sunicrust Bread
Supafry Butter & Margarine
Taylors Bread
Vogel's Bread
White Wings some products certified organic some products certified organic  Flour & Bread Mix
White Wings Pudding & Custard
White Wings Cake Mix
White Wings Gravy
Wonder White Bread
Wonder Wholemeal Bread
Wonder Wraps Flat Bread


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