Monsanto (Historical/Bayer Division) — Ethics Grade F

Monsanto (Historical/Bayer Division) receives an overall ethics grade of F (12/100) on CancelCo's corporate accountability database. Sector: Agriculture. Market cap: Large Cap.

Category scores

• labor: 40
• privacy: 50
• consumer: 10
• environment: 5
• humanRights: 20

Documented incidents (3)

• Roundup Cancer Settlements (high, 2020) — The company agreed to pay over $10 billion to settle thousands of lawsuits claiming its glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup caused non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Courts found the company failed to warn users of health risks.
• PCB Water Contamination (high, 2022) — Monsanto faced numerous lawsuits from cities and states regarding the legacy of PCB manufacturing, which contaminated waterways and soil for decades. PCBs are known carcinogens that persist in the environment.
• Seed Patent Aggression (medium, 2018) — The company was frequently criticized for aggressive litigation against small farmers over unintended patent infringement via cross-pollination, effectively creating a seed monopoly.

Documented good deeds

• Drought-Tolerant Crops — Developed genetically modified seeds designed to survive extreme weather conditions for farmers in water-stressed regions.

Ethical alternatives

• Eden Foods — Strict non-GMO standards and organic farming focus.