Monsanto

Monsanto Issues 1999/2000 Corporate Environmental Report As World-Wide-Web Document

Contact: Dallas A. Meneely (314-694-3862)

ST. LOUIS (Dec. 20, 2000) - Monsanto Company has issued its most recent corporate environmental report (CER) as an electronic document. Titled the "1999/2000 Report on Sustainable Development and ES&H," the document is available exclusively on Monsanto's web site at www.monsanto.com.

Monsanto has issued environmental reports since 1991. These reports have included data about the company's impact on the environment through emissions along with data about the safety and health of employees, releases and transfers of wastes, fines, penalties and other information.

The 1999/2000 report includes that traditional information but expands beyond those areas to report on eco-efficiency performance. Those data are presented as part of an industry-wide initiative by the World Business Council For Sustainable Development (WBCSD). Included are graphs which show the company's eco efficiency performance over time. Also included are descriptions of activities that are either completed or under way which increase resource efficiency and improve energy and raw material usage, key elements in optimizing the environmental influence of manufacturing operations.

The Monsanto CER also looks at the impact of the use of Monsanto products and reviews some of Monsanto's programs and activities that have an impact on social and economic development in various areas of the world.

This is the second year the company has issued its CER electronically. The company believes that the World Wide Web provides global access to the report and that printed copies can be made as needed from the web site, optimizing the use of paper and the benefits of an electronic presentation.

"This web report makes the information accessible in a user-friendly format to more people worldwide than a printed version and also gives access to a level of detail not available in printed copies. It has been specifically designed for web viewing with simple graphics for quick download time to make it user-friendly. It also saves paper and resources and is cost-effective for Monsanto," explains Dallas Meneely who leads the Monsanto CER team.

Monsanto is an agricultural solutions company, supplying farmers worldwide with several herbicide products including Roundup, the world's top-selling herbicide. The company is also a supplier of seeds for a variety of crops, some of which are bioengineered to be insect-protected and/or tolerant to Roundup herbicide.

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Note to editors: Roundup is a registered trademark of Monsanto Company.

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