Common
Ground

How CF is Working with
Farmers and Communities
to Tackle Some of Today’s
Biggest Challenges

There’s a lot to cover.

From helping to feed a growing world to helping communities ensure quality education for the
next generation, CF is tackling some of today’s biggest challenges. Often the most effective way
to do so is by partnering with others. Together, we can cover more common ground.

Working for the Common Good

A Conversation with Tony Will, President and CEO

CF has an important role to play in solving some of the world’s greatest challenges, such as feeding a growing global population and protecting the environment. We also aim to preserve land for, and provide knowledge to, the next generation of American farmers, while positioning our company for the long term.

We can’t do it alone. CF Industries CEO Tony Will reflects on the partnerships we’re building across our industry and within our company to accomplish common goals.

Read the Q&A with Tony

What is at the heart of CF’s approach to sustainability?

Everything we do at CF starts with our “Do It Right” culture, which means we make safety our top priority. We’re extremely proud that 2017 was our safest year by every measure. And, our employees are leading the way. We highlight our most innovative and significant safety improvements through our Stephen R. Wilson Excellence in Safety Award. Those ideas are generated by employees at our locations, rather than management. This demonstrates how engaged the entire company is in safety. “Do It Right” also means that we protect the environment and work for the greater good side-by-side with all our stakeholders.

What are you doing to address the environmental impact of your products?

CF’s environmental footprint is somewhat misunderstood. Yes, the chemical processes we use generate substantial CO2 equivalent emissions, which we report every year. But our products actually prevent and reduce more CO2 equivalent emissions than we generate. For example, land use is the number one cause of CO2 emissions in agriculture. Because our products increase yields substantially, farmers need less land to grow the food the world population needs to survive. By increasing crop yields, we help limit the conversion of carbon-sequestering forests into farmland.

Our products also reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from industrial processes. In addition, our diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) helps reduce NOx emissions of heavy-duty trucks by up to 90 percent and improves fuel efficiency by up to 5 percent.

How is CF working to improve its manufacturing operations from an environmental perspective?

While our products are helping reduce GHG emissions outside our gates, we remain focused on doing our part within CF. Each year, we make significant investments in our manufacturing and distribution facilities to enhance safety, reliability and efficiency. Between 2012 and 2017, CF’s emissions intensity, or the emissions per metric ton of product manufactured, decreased by 30 percent over that six-year period. On top of that, we are working diligently and investing significant capital to improve the energy efficiency of our processes and reduce our emissions.

How do you work side-by-side with your stakeholders?

Partnerships are central to how we operate. For example, we partner with the local communities in which we operate by supporting local charities and educational programs. We also work closely with first responders near our facilities, often conducting training exercises together as well as supporting their capabilities. In 2017, CF donated approximately $175,000 to local first responders to pay for trainings and to purchase equipment such as new water hoses for fire departments, emergency rescue chain saw blades and thermal imaging cameras.

One of our newest, and most important, partnerships is with The Nature Conservancy. We believe the work we’re doing together is beginning to change the conversation around agriculture nationwide.

Tell us about this partnership and why it’s so important.

CF and The Nature Conservancy are working with farmers across Iowa to address challenges with water quality, nutrient loss and poor soil health. This program, 4R Plus, began with the idea that most of agriculture’s emissions come from land use, not fertilizer use. If we want to avoid putting more land into production, thereby driving up emissions, we need to maximize yield on existing farmland while keeping soils healthy.

That’s a tricky balance to achieve, and it’s what the 4R Plus program is all about. 4R Plus will educate Iowa farmers on the principles of nutrient management and conservation practices that will keep their land productive and improve water quality.

Soon after we announced the program, others wanted to take part, including other fertilizer manufacturers, equipment manufacturers, retailers, grower associations and even the Iowa government. To us, this represents a public-private partnership the way it should be. Not driven by regulation and legislation, but by a common goal of improving agriculture in a sustainable manner.

Why did you choose Iowa as the place to launch the 4R Plus program?

Iowa is a leader in agriculture for our entire country. More than 85 percent of Iowa’s land is used for agriculture, so it’s also a place where we have an opportunity to make a major impact. The great thing about 4R Plus, however, is that it doesn’t need to be reinvented one state at a time. We hope to ultimately introduce the program to other states.

How will we know the 4R Plus program is working?

We keep track of several key indicators that show that we are making progress towards the ultimate goal of better soil health and water quality across Iowa. The 4R Plus website has already received almost 2,000 visitors in the short time it’s been live, almost 20,000 4R Plus brochures have been printed, and 4R Plus ads are running in media platforms across the state. With all of these efforts, we project that 4R Plus messaging will reach 85 percent of Iowa’s farmers and crop advisers in 2018. The success of this program is very important to me, because farmers do such vital work. Simply put, they feed the world. It’s our job to help them do so in a way that keeps soils, waterways, and people safe and healthy for years to come.

Discover more on our GHG impact

Working for the Common Good

A Conversation with Tony Will, President and CEO

CF has an important role to play in solving some of the world’s greatest challenges, such as feeding a growing global population and protecting the environment. We also aim to preserve land for, and provide knowledge to, the next generation of American farmers, while positioning our company for the long term.

We can’t do it alone. CF Industries CEO Tony Will reflects on the partnerships we’re building across our industry and within our company to accomplish common goals.

Read the Q&A with Tony

What is at the heart of CF’s approach to sustainability?

Everything we do at CF starts with our “Do It Right” culture, which means we make safety our top priority. We’re extremely proud that 2017 was our safest year by every measure. And, our employees are leading the way. We highlight our most innovative and significant safety improvements through our Stephen R. Wilson Excellence in Safety Award. Those ideas are generated by employees at our locations, rather than management. This demonstrates how engaged the entire company is in safety. “Do It Right” also means that we protect the environment and work for the greater good side-by-side with all our stakeholders.

What are you doing to address the environmental impact of your products?

CF’s environmental footprint is somewhat misunderstood. Yes, the chemical processes we use generate substantial CO2 equivalent emissions, which we report every year. But our products actually prevent and reduce more CO2 equivalent emissions than we generate. For example, land use is the number one cause of CO2 emissions in agriculture. Because our products increase yields substantially, farmers need less land to grow the food the world population needs to survive. By increasing crop yields, we help limit the conversion of carbon-sequestering forests into farmland.

Our products also reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from industrial processes. In addition, our diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) helps reduce NOx emissions of heavy-duty trucks by up to 90 percent and improves fuel efficiency by up to 5 percent.

How is CF working to improve its manufacturing operations from an environmental perspective?

While our products are helping reduce GHG emissions outside our gates, we remain focused on doing our part within CF. Each year, we make significant investments in our manufacturing and distribution facilities to enhance safety, reliability and efficiency. Between 2012 and 2017, CF’s emissions intensity, or the emissions per metric ton of product manufactured, decreased by 30 percent over that six-year period. On top of that, we are working diligently and investing significant capital to improve the energy efficiency of our processes and reduce our emissions.

How do you work side-by-side with your stakeholders?

Partnerships are central to how we operate. For example, we partner with the local communities in which we operate by supporting local charities and educational programs. We also work closely with first responders near our facilities, often conducting training exercises together as well as supporting their capabilities. In 2017, CF donated approximately $175,000 to local first responders to pay for trainings and to purchase equipment such as new water hoses for fire departments, emergency rescue chain saw blades and thermal imaging cameras.

One of our newest, and most important, partnerships is with The Nature Conservancy. We believe the work we’re doing together is beginning to change the conversation around agriculture nationwide.

Tell us about this partnership and why it’s so important.

CF and The Nature Conservancy are working with farmers across Iowa to address challenges with water quality, nutrient loss and poor soil health. This program, 4R Plus, began with the idea that most of agriculture’s emissions come from land use, not fertilizer use. If we want to avoid putting more land into production, thereby driving up emissions, we need to maximize yield on existing farmland while keeping soils healthy. That’s a tricky balance to achieve, and it’s what the 4R Plus program is all about. 4R Plus will educate Iowa farmers on the principles of nutrient management and conservation practices that will keep their land productive and improve water quality.

Soon after we announced the program, others wanted to take part, including other fertilizer manufacturers, equipment manufacturers, retailers, grower associations and even the Iowa government. To us, this represents a public-private partnership the way it should be. Not driven by regulation and legislation, but by a common goal of improving agriculture in a sustainable manner.

Why did you choose Iowa as the place to launch the 4R Plus program?

Iowa is a leader in agriculture for our entire country. More than 85 percent of Iowa’s land is used for agriculture, so it’s also a place where we have an opportunity to make a major impact. The great thing about 4R Plus, however, is that it doesn’t need to be reinvented one state at a time. We hope to ultimately introduce the program to other states.

How will we know the 4R Plus program is working?

We keep track of several key indicators that show that we are making progress towards the ultimate goal of better soil health and water quality across Iowa. The 4R Plus website has already received almost 2,000 visitors in the short time it’s been live, almost 20,000 4R Plus brochures have been printed, and 4R Plus ads are running in media platforms across the state. With all of these efforts, we project that 4R Plus messaging will reach 85 percent of Iowa’s farmers and crop advisers in 2018. The success of this program is very important to me, because farmers do such vital work. Simply put, they feed the world. It’s our job to help them do so in a way that keeps soils, waterways, and people safe and healthy for years to come.

Discover more on our GHG impact

About CF

CF Industries is a leading global fertilizer and chemical company with outstanding operational capabilities and a highly cost-advantaged production and distribution platform. Our 3,000 employees operate world-class manufacturing complexes in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. We serve our customers in North America through an unparalleled production, storage, transportation and distribution network. We also reach a global customer base with exports from our Donaldsonville, Louisiana, plant, the world’s largest and most flexible nitrogen complex. Additionally, we move product to international destinations from our Verdigris, Oklahoma, facility; our Yazoo City, Mississippi, facility; our Billingham and Ince facilities in the United Kingdom; and from a joint venture ammonia facility in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in which we own a 50 percent interest.

Production Facility Locations

Interactive Map

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  • Billingham Manufacturing Facility
    Billingham, UK
  • Courtright Nitrogen Facility
    Courtright, Ontario, Canada
  • Donaldsonville Nitrogen Facility
    Donaldsonville, LA
  • Ince Manufacturing Facility
    Ince, UK
  • Medicine Hat Nitrogen Facility
    Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada
  • Port Neal Nitrogen Facility
    Sergeant Bluff, IA
  • Verdigris Nitrogen Facility
    Claremore, OK
  • Woodward Nitrogen Facility
    Woodward, OK
  • Yazoo City Nitrogen Facility
    Yazoo City, MS

About This Report

Sustainability is an inherent part of how we run our business and part of our commitment to the communities where we live and work. CF Industries’ annual Corporate Sustainability Report communicates our performance across fundamental environmental, safety, governance and social considerations. This report covers CF’s activities during the year ended December 31, 2017, and has been prepared in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards: Core Option. GRI indicators are selectively referenced throughout this report and can be reviewed in the complete index here.

Our Mission

CF Industries is a leader in an industry whose mission is fundamental to human survival: putting food on the world’s table. By providing plant nutrients to farmers, we feed the crops that feed the world. We are proud of the role our company plays in fulfilling this increasingly challenging mission.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements and other information contained in this report constitute “forward-looking statements.” These statements are typically identified by the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” and similar terms and phrases, including references to assumptions. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. We want to caution you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. More detailed information about factors that may affect our performance may be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recent periodic reports filed on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q, which are available in the Investor Relations section of the CF Industries website. Forward-looking statements are given only as of the date of this report, and we disclaim any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.