Nature risk oversight is anchored in two enterprise commitments: our biodiversity goal and our Sustainable Innovation criteria. Together, they guide how we identify and manage nature-related risks and opportunities through product development, stewardship, and operational practices. Because our R&D and product testing network spans diverse agro-ecological regions, we can validate performance and stewardship considerations under the local conditions farmers face, including climate, soils, and pest pressure.
Nature in our operations
We are at the forefront of more sustainable agriculture technologies, providing seed and crop protection solutions that support farmers while prioritizing environmental stewardship. Our operations are deeply connected to the landscapes we serve, making it essential to understand the interdependencies between our activities and the ecosystems around us.
We continue to advance our Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) nature-impact, risk, and opportunity assessment process to identify and prioritize nature-related dependencies, impacts, risks, and opportunities. In 2025, we built Environmental Resilience Analytics (ERA), an internal system that provides data-driven geospatial insights into how our global operations interact with local ecosystems. This capability helps us set thresholds for deeper analysis and reporting on nature and biodiversity, and informs actions linked to our biodiversity goal and our Sustainable Innovation criteria.
These processes inform decisions across our value chain, enabling us to identify practices that promote biodiversity, enhance resource efficiency, and deliver long-term value for farmers and the environment. This work underscores our commitment to driving agriculture toward a more sustainable future.
TNFD priority location categories
Assessment locations
All geographic locations in the organization's direct operations
Sensitive locations
Locations where the assets and/or activities in the organization's direct operations interface with nature in areas deemed to be ecologically sensitive.
Material locations
Locations where the organization has identified material nature-related dependencies, impacts, risks and opportunities.
Priority locations
Locations selected for deeper analysis and action, where targeted management actions, partnerships, or reporting are prioritized.
Nature in our value chain
Surveying and baselining helped us understand and scale biodiversity practices upstream and downstream of our operations. We undertook soil health surveys among our seed growers to identify more sustainable land practices, including tillage avoidance, grassed waterways, biofiltration, and crop windbreaks. In 2025, we supported The Nature Conservancy’s report Profitable Conservation Around the Margins, which highlights how edge-of-field practices can improve water quality while supporting farm profitability. Insights from this work help inform how we prioritize and scale practices across our value chain, especially in areas where conservation outcomes and on-farm economics align. Additionally, we conducted extensive surveys across all our operations, encompassing the Seed and Crop Protection business units and the R&D function, to gain insights and further define our biodiversity performance.
This comprehensive understanding of effective measures employed across our sites and among our growers is instrumental in enhancing our ability to evaluate and implement biodiversity practices more effectively in the future.
Water use in our operations
With approximately 200 sites worldwide, we assess water risk at facilities that use over 100,000 gallons of water annually. Our assessment uses WRI Aqueduct indicators, including baseline water stress and baseline water depletion. Our latest review in 2025 identified only five crop protection, R&D and seed production sites that are exposed to water risks globally.
We acknowledge that water is a critical resource for our growers and our operations, as it is used as an ingredient in our products, and our contract growers use water for growing seeds. Therefore, any disruption in water availability could potentially impact our production capabilities and financial performance. However, we have implemented robust water stewardship policies and practices to adapt to these risks. These include encouraging the reuse and recycling of water in water-stressed regions, implementing zero liquid discharge facilities, and strategically locating our most water-intensive activities, like biological fermentation, at sites where water and wastewater technology are plentiful.
Given the global presence of agriculture, our seed manufacturing and R&D operations engage with regions where water risk is a concern, in contrast to our crop protection sites, which are strategically located in areas with plentiful water.
We have the value creation solutions to help producers optimize soil health and water quality through innovative microbial and nutrient efficiency technology. MycoUp® and Resid™, based on mycorrhizae innovation, form symbiotic relationships with plant roots, improving soil structure and boosting nutrient and water uptake. Meanwhile, our nutrient efficiency offerings, including Utrisha™ N nutrient efficiency optimizer, Omsugo™ P biostimulant, and Masterfix™ biological inoculant, enhance the availability and use of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, helping optimize fertilizer inputs and protect waterways from nutrient runoff. By fostering healthier soil ecosystems and more efficient nutrient cycling, these solutions enable more sustainable farming practices that benefit both productivity and the environment.
Operational waste management and recycling programs
We manage waste generated in our operations in line with local requirements and site-specific controls, prioritizing waste reduction and diversion where practical. Where permitted, we prioritize beneficial pathways including reuse, recycling, and composting (for example, the Caledon Research Center’s greenhouse composting program and recycling of single-use inserts). We track and disclose operational waste outcomes annually, including hazardous and non-hazardous waste recycled or reused and disposed (see Waste data).
Waste organic matter in our operations
Across Corteva sites, organic waste is generated primarily through R&D activities, seed operations, and biological and naturally-derived technology work. We manage these materials in line with local requirements and site-specific biosecurity and stewardship controls, recognizing that “organic” does not always mean suitable for the same end-of-life pathway.
Where permitted and practical, we prioritize beneficial options that keep organic matter in productive use, such as soil incorporation and composting. For material that is not suitable for beneficial use due to contamination risk, biosecurity controls, or local infrastructure constraints, sites use a mix of thermal treatment and landfill routes. In some cases, specialized disposal is required when materials must be handled by licensed providers or treated through specific routes based on local requirements.
Waste organic matter in our operations
Based on 2025 R&D operations survey results.