The State Of The Fertilizer Industry

He’s all hat, no horse.” It’s a humorous way of describing a person who tells a good story, but is in at least one way, inauthentic. Either at work or in our personal lives, we all know someone who fits the bill. An individual who talks a good game, but lacks the substance to back their claims.

The same dynamic can be found in the world of corporate sustainability. In this case, it’s called “greenwashing,” which takes place when companies communicate misleading or downright false information about the environmental, economic or social benefits of their operations. With the free flow of information in today’s digital world, it is almost never successful and is often embarrassing to all involved.

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Conversely, when companies or industries truly engage on sustainability, tremendous benefits often follow. When organizations’ reputations are boosted, a chain reaction of positive outcomes often results. The ability to attract top talent, improved stakeholder and community relations are just a few positive downstream impacts.

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This is what The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) has in mind as we publish the 2nd annual State of the Fertilizer Industry report. This publication tracks aggregated industry performance on environmental, economic, and social indicators.

Looking at the Findings

Our 2015 report accounts for 93% of total fertilizer nutrient production capacity in the U.S. and expanded representation of industry wholesale and retail sectors. Participants from the retail sector included some of the largest retailers in the country and small, family-owned businesses. Highlights of the 2016 State of the Fertilizer Industry report include:

  • The total industry employee safety incident rates have declined over the past three years.
  • Employees at fertilizer blending facilities and wholesalers are safer than the national average for their counterparts.
  • The fertilizer industry’s concern for safety goes beyond the fence line. In 2015, we dedicated more than 13,000 hours to training emergency responders.
  • In 2015, the U.S. fertilizer industry invested $5.2 billion in capital infrastructure projects. These investments created jobs, increased worker and community safety and helped to conserve energy, land, water, and air resources.

To best tell the industry’s story, we also feature case studies from companies who are going above and beyond to meet sustainability’s “triple crown” goals (environmental, economic and social). Some retail examples:

  • One retailer built a new facility that increases customer service and community safety.
  • Another retailer cleaned up an abandoned biofuels plant site — including 140,000 gallons of biodiesel byproduct — and turned it into a state-of-the-art regional fertilizer distribution facility.
  • A family-owned retailer in Maryland runs one of its outlets completely with solar power. The company has reduced carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by more than 179 tons in the short time the system has been in operation.

By measuring and evaluating our efforts as an industry, TFI and its members are generating valuable data or use in outreach to policymakers, stakeholders and communities in areas where we operate. The story we’re telling is based in solid facts and is built on a foundation of continuous improvement.

I encourage you to look at the 2016 State of the Fertili­zer Industry Report on our Website, www.tfi.org. While you won’t find any horses — or 10-gallon hats for that matter — you will find a portrait of an industry that makes you proud.

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