PhosAgro Named a Leader in Corporate Responsibility Under the UN Global Compact

NEW YORK, Nov. 21, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- PhosAgro, a Russian vertically integrated company and one of the world's leading producers of phosphate-based fertilizers, has been included on the list of Global Compact LEAD companies for its commitment to the United Nations Global Compact and the Compact's Ten Principles on corporate sustainability.

Achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been identified as a key priority of PhosAgro's long-term development strategy. While recognising the importance of all 17 SDGs, PhosAgro supports the UN in directly implementing 10 of them.

Since 2000, more than 13 thousand companies and organisations from more than 160 countries have joined the Global Compact. Among the most active participants in the world's leading initiative on corporate responsibility and sustainable business, 36 companies from 19 sectors have received LEAD status. PhosAgro is one of two Russian companies selected by the UN to participate in this platform for leadership in the area of corporate sustainability.

"LEAD companies have demonstrated the highest level of engagement with the UN Global Compact. Today, more than ever before, the world needs companies like those identified as LEAD participants, companies that are constantly working to improve their performance in the area of sustainable development and striving to make the world a better place," said the CEO and Executive Director of the UN Global Compact, Lise Kingo, when announcing the list of companies that had been assigned LEAD status.

PhosAgro plays an active role in the activities and initiatives of international and industry associations, among which the UN occupies an important position. PhosAgro is the only Russian company in the history of the UN selected to finance extrabudgetary initiatives on the part of UNESCO and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in the areas of green chemistry, food security and sustainable development.

Coordination of the Company's work in this area is the responsibility of the PhosAgro Board of Directors' Sustainable Development Committee, which was created in May of this year and is headed by Irina Bokova, an independent member of the Board of Directors who was previously the head of UNESCO and who has unique expertise in this area.

"Obtaining LEAD status under the UN Global Compact is important recognition of the Company's progress in terms of compliance with the Compact's Principles in the areas of human rights, labour relations, environmental protection and the fight against corruption.

"This new status will help PhosAgro improve the impact of its exchange of experiences with other parties to the Global Compact on integrating the UN Sustainable Development Goals into day-to-day corporate operations, and it will also help with the implementation of important initiatives in this area," said PhosAgro CEO Andrey Guryev about the Company's LEAD status.

"We have developed successful cooperation with international organisations such as UNESCO, IUPAC and the FAO, which has enabled us to make a significant contribution to solving global issues that have an impact on society. Being included as one of the companies assigned Global Compact LEAD status is an acknowledgement of the impact of our cooperation and of transparency in terms of the disclosure of our results in the area of sustainable development. Within the framework of our strategy to 2025, PhosAgro has the ambition, the potential and the ability to make further progress in terms of improving its operations, while also supporting the UN in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals," said Ms Bokova, Chair of PhosAgro's Sustainable Development Committee.

About PhosAgro

PhosAgro (www.phosagro.ru) is one of the world's leading vertically integrated phosphate-based fertilizer producers in terms of production volumes of phosphate-based fertilizers and high-grade phosphate rock with a P₂O₅ content of 39% and higher. PhosAgro's environmentally friendly fertilizers stand out for their high efficiency, and they do no lead to the contamination of soils with heavy metals.

The Company is the largest phosphate-based fertilizer producer in Europe (by total combined capacity for DAP/MAP/NP/NPK/NPS), the largest producer of high-grade phosphate rock with a P₂O₅ content of 39%, a top-three producer of MAP/DAP globally, one of the leading producers of feed phosphates (MCP) in Europe, and the only producer in Russia, and Russia's only producer of nepheline concentrate (according to the RAFP).

PhosAgro's main products include phosphate rock, 39 grades of fertilizers, feed phosphates, ammonia, and sodium tripolyphosphate, which are used by customers in 100 countries spanning all of the world's inhabited continents. The Company's priority markets outside of Russia and the CIS are Latin America, Europe and Asia.

PhosAgro's shares are traded on the Moscow Exchange, and global depositary receipts (GDRs) for shares trade on the London Stock Exchange (under the ticker PHOR). Since 1 June 2016, the Company's GDRs have been included in the MSCI Russia and MSCI Emerging Markets indexes.

More information about PhosAgro can be found on the website: www.phosagro.ru.