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Archer Daniels Midland

OVERALL

Owned
USA
Rating
Criticisms

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 Climate Change Score of B
In 2022, 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 (2022)
Social CDP Water Security Score of B
In 2022, 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 (2022)
Business Ethics 71/100 in Newsweek rankings
America's Most Responsible Companies 2022 by Newsweek and Statista recognises the Top 500 most responsible companies in the United States. Companies were evaluated in three areas: environmental (waste, energy use, etc.), social (leadership diversity, employees and philanthropy) and governance (transparency and economic performance). This company received a total score of 71/100, ranking 26th in the Consumer Goods sector, and 299th overall.
Source: Newsweek (2021)
Social 5/27 in pesticides scorecard
Over the last 60 years farming has become dependent on the intensive use of chemicals. As You Sow's 2021 report, Pesticides in the Pantry, examines the growing risks posed by the use of synthetic pesticides in agricultural supply chains to food manufacturers, and scores companies on their efforts to reduce pesticide use in their supply chains. Scores ranged from 16 to 0, with an average score of 7.5. This company received a score of 5/27.
Source: As You Sow (2021)
Social 17.9% in Human Rights Benchmark
The 2022 Corporate Human Rights Benchmark assessed 127 companies in the food and agriculture, ICT and automotive manufacturing sectors on their human rights performance. This company received a score of 17.9%. The overall average score was a disappointing 17.3% and the highest score was 50.3%.
Source: World Benchmarking Alliance (2022)
Social 21/100 in KnowTheChain Benchmark
In 2020/21 KnowTheChain benchmarked over 180 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 21/100.
Source: KnowTheChain (2021)
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)
Business Ethics 47.7/125 at JUST Capital
JUST Capital polls Americans every year to identify the issues that matter most in defining just business behaviour. For their 2023 rankings JUST Capital asked a representative sample of 3,002 Americans to compare 20 different business Issues on a head-to-head basis, producing a reliable hierarchy of Issues ranked in order of priority. Issues are organised under the headings Workers, Customers, Communities, the Environment, or Shareholders & Governance. 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 524th of 951 companies, and 13th of 31 Food, Beverage & Tobacco companies.
Source: JUST Capital (2023)
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)
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)
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 2022 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 41 on the list, having been paid US$21,994,433 in 2021. 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: (2022)
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)
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)
Environment CDP Forests Score of C
In 2022, 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 C.
Source: CDP (2022)
Environment 54% in Forest 500 Rankings
Forest 500 identifies the 350 companies and 150 financial institutions with the greatest exposure to tropical deforestation risk, and annually assesses them on the strength and implementation of their deforestation and human rights commitments. This company received a score of 54%.
Source: Forest 500 (2021)
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: company website (2017)
Business Ethics 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 (2020)
Business Ethics 59/100 S&P Global ESG Score
This company received an S&P Global ESG Score of 59/100 in the Food Products category of the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment, an annual evaluation of companies' sustainability practices (last updated 23 Sep 2022). 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 (2022)
Business Ethics 39.6% in Food and Agriculture Benchmark
The 2021 Food and Agriculture Benchmark assessed 350 keystone companies across the entirety of the food system, from farm to fork. It covers three dimensions where transformation is needed: nutrition, environment and social inclusion. This company ranked #37/350, with a total score of 39.6/100.
Source: World Benchmarking Alliance (2021)

> About the Icons

Company Details

Type Public company
Revenue 64.3 billion USD (2018)
Employees 32,300 (2016)
Subsidiaries 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.


ADM Australia Pty Ltd 

Food and feed ingredients

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

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
Donna Hay Cake Mix
ETA Cooking Oil
ETA Salad Dressing/Mayonnaise
ETA Tomato/BBQ Sauce
ETA 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
Oli & Vine Salad Dressing/Mayonnaise
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
Plantry Frozen Meals/Pizza
Plantry Vegetarian & Vegan
Praise Salad Dressing/Mayonnaise
Supafry Butter & Margarine
Taylors 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 Bread
Wonder Flat Bread


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