Bayer AG (Monsanto Division) — Ethics Grade F

Bayer AG (Monsanto Division) receives an overall ethics grade of F (18/100) on CancelCo's corporate accountability database. Sector: Pharmaceuticals. Market cap: Large Cap.

Category scores

• labor: 55
• privacy: 80
• consumer: 10
• environment: 12
• humanRights: 45

Documented incidents (3)

• Roundup Herbicide Cancer Links (high, 2020) — Bayer faced mass litigation alleging that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, causes non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Internal 'Monsanto Papers' suggested the company ghostwrote studies to prove safety and influenced regulatory bodies.
• PCB Water Contamination (high, 2023) — Bayer was ordered to pay massive damages due to the legacy of Monsanto manufacturing PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), which leaked into waterways and schools, causing environmental damage and health risks long after they were banned.
• Dicamba Crop Destruction (medium, 2020) — A jury found Bayer/Monsanto liable for damages caused to farmers when the herbicide Dicamba drifted from treated fields to neighboring unprotected crops, destroying millions of acres of non-resistant plants.

Documented good deeds

• Vector Control Innovation — Invested in new indoor residual sprays and bed nets to combat pyrethroid-resistant mosquitoes and reduce malaria transmission in sub-Saharan Africa.

Ethical alternatives

• Syngenta Group — While still an industry giant, Syngenta has significantly lower pending consumer health litigation regarding its core herbicide products compared to Bayer.