Sustainability
At Mosaic, we
are proud of our commitment to environmental stewardship and
sustainability - and a record of improvements including
innovations in reclaiming mined lands, conserving water, planting
millions of trees and minimizing environmental
impacts. We believe responsible companies can, and
have an obligation to, strike a balance between meeting the world's
growing need for food and preserving the ecosystems from which we
extract an essential natural resource.
Furthermore, we view environmental
stewardship not only as the required thing to do, but as the right
thing to do, and we accomplish this by investing millions of
dollars and countless man hours to reclaiming our mined lands
and protecting natural resources. Our phosphate mining
and fertilizer production facilities must meet strict environmental
health and safety policies. Learn about our corporate committment to
sustainability.
Reclaiming Land 
Mosaic's goal is to return mined
lands to a natural and productive state, supporting everything from
fishing lakes, wetlands, wildlife habitats and public parks to
planned communities where Floridians - including the families of
Mosaic - live, work and play. Before mining new reserves, a team of
Mosaic planning and reclamation engineers, hydrologists and
ecologists develops detailed plans for recreating a thriving,
natural environment from the ground up.
In fact, many of our reclamation
sites have transformed land into more productive uses. For example,
many scrubby wetlands with invasive exotic species have been
reclaimed as model wetland systems. Past reclamation projects have
earned recognition from the National Association of State Land
Reclamationists, the Bureau of Mine Reclamation, the Florida Native
Plant Society and the Corporate Conservation Council of the
National Audubon Society.
Formerly mined lands have been
reclaimed for agricultural, residential, recreational and
commercial uses. Since 1980, the phosphate industry has planted
tens of millions of trees and donated thousands of acres of land
for recreation and wildlife habitat. As of December
31, 2010, Mosaic's Florida operations owned 21,136 acres on which
we have proposed, committed or executed a conservation easement, in
order to ensure the long-term protection of lands or waters of
particular sensitivity.
Protecting Resources
There are three aspects to
protecting resources: the high standards we employ during phosphate
mining, the safeguards we apply during fertilizer manufacturing and
the services we provide to our customers about fertilizer
application.
Like our phosphate mining operations, Mosaic operates its fertilizer manufacturing plants under very strict permits. These regulatory standards require that water coming out of our facilities be clean enough for recreation, fish and wildlife. Air emissions from manufacturing operations must also meet tough government standards that protect both our employees and neighbors.
We follow
these standards and strive to exceed them. Mosaic has pioneered
water-recycling practices. We have installed renewable energy
recovery systems to produce
electricity without burning fossil fuels. And we've improved
processes to reduce waste generation at the source.
Producing
Renewable Energy
Our
manufacturing facilities generate power when combusting elemental sulfur in
an exothermic process that releases a tremendous amount of energy
in the form of heat. Through
cogeneration, we capture this waste heat and use it to power our
facilities. No fossil fuel is burned during this process
(and no harmful emissions result).
Encouraging
Responsible Farming
But
minimizing the impacts of our production facilities is only half
the story. Managing the application of crop nutrients is crucial.
We understand that. So we created a Mosaic solution - for ourselves
and our customers. We call it the InSite™ Variable Rate Nutrient
System or InSite VRN (for short).
Here's
how it works. Farmers have always known (even without a yield
monitor) that some parts of a field are more productive than
others. To treat an entire farm as if its many acres share the same
quality and type of soil is a waste of resources. InSite VRN offers
a simple, inexpensive method for identifying what the ideal
nutrient rate should be for each individual area of a field. This
means that farmers no longer over-apply crop nutrients to infertile
areas, so fertilizers are used only where they're
needed.
Mosaic
has also developed an educational program called Back-to-Basics to teach growers about the critical
importance of proper soil fertility. It has an important component
addressing environmental stewardship that encourages growers to use
conservation buffers to inhibit runoff, promote better water
quality and wildlife habitats.
Back-to-Basics and InSite VRN are examples
of Mosaic's dual commitment to environmental responsibility and
crop enhancement practices.
Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS)
PolicyIt's Mosaic's policy to
conduct all business activities in a manner that protects the
environment and the health and safety of our employees,
contractors, customers and communities. Our employees are trained
to ensure that environmental, health and safety standards and
procedures are understood and implemented.
Our
business units also comply with all applicable laws and
regulations. We support responsible production and use of crop
nutrient products to enhance preservation of natural systems. We
insist that all work, however urgent, be done safely. And we refuse
to accept any compromise when it comes to the safety of Mosaic
employees or the application of our products.