Committed to

Our Communities

G4-DMA: At Mosaic, we understand that our business and our communities are indelibly linked. Our operating communities are also our homes—where we live, work and raise children. We strive to be a thoughtful and engaged neighbor, investing carefully and generously as we seek long-term partnerships with organizations that are making a difference.

The Mosaic Company, The Mosaic Company Foundation and The Mosaic Institute in Brazil partner with industry associations, nonprofit groups and stakeholders focused on food, water and local initiatives. We are especially committed to the strength and prosperity of the communities where we have offices and operations, including North America, South America and Asia. Our financial support is magnified by employee volunteerism and community involvement.

Adhering to

Our Principles

G4-DMA: Our local communities are our homes, and we have a vested interest in their sustainability. We understand that for Mosaic to prosper, so must our communities. We support formal and informal communication channels to connect our employees, communities, partners and customers. Examples include our Community Advisory Panels (CAPs) in Central Florida, as well as regional and international microsites intended as open lines of communication between Mosaic and local communities.

G4-SO1 In alignment with Mosaic’s Environment, Health and Safety policies, we are committed to conducting all business activities in a manner that protects the environment and the health and safety of our employees, our contractors, our customers and the public.

Our guiding principles—which state that we are responsible, innovative, collaborative and driven—define how we conduct business, how we interact with colleagues, and how we treat our communities and planet. Accordingly, 100 percent of our operations have impact assessment and development programs. We employ a variety of approaches to systematically assess and manage the diverse impacts of industry on the various communities in which we operate.

Sustaining Our Global and Local Operations

We serve customers in approximately 40 countries. We mine phosphate rock in Florida and process rock into finished phosphate products at facilities in Florida and Louisiana. We mine potash in Saskatchewan and New Mexico. We have other production, blending or distribution operations in Brazil, China, India and Paraguay, as well as strategic equity investments in a phosphate rock mine in the Bayovar region in Peru and a joint venture formed to develop a phosphate rock mine and chemical complexes in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. View a list of our locations (55 as of the date of this report).

Although Mosaic continues to refine and adapt community investment programs throughout South America and Asia, due to the nature of our business and potential impact, this report heavily emphasizes Central Florida in the United States, Saskatchewan, Canada and Brazil.

Our operations in Saskatchewan, Central Florida and Brazil work diligently to engage local communities. Mosaic’s engagement within local communities includes monthly meetings with a series of CAPs, civic organizations, elected officials, civil servants and other opinion leaders. Mosaic reaches the broader community through print, broadcast, billboard and digital ads, news and social media outlets, direct mail, and public education initiatives. When the business plans to expand operations, we host community forums and participate in public hearings convened by local and regional governments.

Assessing Our Environmental Impact

Mosaic is committed to conducting and reporting the results of environmental impact assessments. In April 2013, the final Areawide Environmental Impact Statement (AEIS) on Phosphate Mining in the Central Florida District was released by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) for public review. In August 2013, the AEIS for continued phosphate mining in the Central Florida Phosphate District was finalized. Administered by the ACOE in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, this process analyzed the environmental scope and potential impacts of phosphate mining in Central Florida.

Additionally, as it becomes available, information about our permit applications is posted online on microsites targeted to each permitting county in Central Florida. This transparency provides the public with a clearer view of the regulatory process for permitting and gives local residents the ability to communicate directly with the experts overseeing a given project.

The Mosaic Potash segment conducts regular environmental impact assessments, reporting the findings to the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment. All environmental impact assessments have been submitted and approved to date. Additionally, the Mosaic Potash facilities in Saskatchewan conduct thorough biological assessments of proposed expansion sites, such as the assessments for the tailing expansion at the Colonsay and Esterhazy mines, as well as the K3 site at Esterhazy. Each of these assessments includes field surveys to identify rare species of plants and animals of special concern to identify if mitigation programs are required.

Developing and Consulting in Our Communities

Each year, Mosaic targets investing 1 percent of profits over a three-year rolling average into our communities. The Mosaic Company, The Mosaic Company Foundation and The Mosaic Institute in Brazil make investments in our global communities through philanthropic grants, employee engagement and in-kind donations. Combined contributions in 2016 reached more than $17 million.

In 2016, Mosaic operations in Florida committed more than $4.5 million, and operations in Saskatchewan committed more than $9 million to enrich and improve communities where we have offices and operations.

Mosaic employs regional, full-time public affairs (PA) staff to support all communities where we have an operating footprint. Mosaic PA staff are committed to maintaining an open dialogue with the people in our communities, assessing local needs and building partnerships designed to improve community vibrancy for local residents.

Independent CAPs help facilitate this work. Underwritten by Mosaic, CAPs serve as a forum for open discussion among representatives of the local community, and provide a place for companies to discuss community response to industry developments and plans.

Recognizing Indigenous Rights

In some locations, there are cultural implications to our business that Mosaic addresses through community engagement. Mosaic recognizes the significance of building relationships with First Nation and Métis organizations throughout Saskatchewan. For example, Mosaic partners with the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies’ Mining Industry Prep Programs, which are based in Saskatoon, Yorkton and Regina, to prepare Saskatchewan’s Indigenous workforce for careers in mining. We strive to be a thoughtful and engaged neighbor who invests carefully and generously, and, through working with First Nations and Métis communities, we identify strategic opportunities to target grant funding to initiatives and projects that are important to the growth and sustainability in the areas where we operate. In 2016, the potash business segment realigned aboriginal engagement internally by merging the function within Public Affairs in order to create a more holistic outreach approach. Today, our engagement with aboriginal communities blends community investment initiatives with information on career opportunities, environmental responsibility, and opportunities for suppliers by connecting one-on-one with aboriginal communities and organizations, ensuring the right connections within Mosaic are made.

Engaging Our Stakeholders

Mosaic is committed to stakeholder engagement and public outreach efforts. Through face-to-face meetings, social media, government relations, facility tours and more, Mosaic connects with stakeholders to keep them well informed and engaged with our mission to help the world grow the food it needs.

• Mosaic employees conduct tours of mines and manufacturing facilities for local, state and federal elected officials and staff, customers, investors, students, community leaders, the media, and nonprofit and civic groups throughout the year.
• Mosaic has an engaged social media presence (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube). These media enable us to share information with the general public and engage in conversations about our business, making thousands of impressions on users and community members.
• Additionally, Mosaic manages micro websites in support of future permitting, with the goal of being transparent with the general public. These sites invite the public to be engaged with the permitting process, review maps of the proposed mining areas, ask an expert, and submit questions about our activities in and around their communities.
• In Canada, Mosaic is engaging the public in education on the importance of potash mining, fertilizer and global food security. In partnership with Saskatchewan Association of Ag Societies and Exhibitions, Mosaic is part of the “Food for Saskatchewan – Food for the World” educational display that tours the province. Mosaic’s own educational display was launched in 2014 and features interactive learning on Mosaic’s role in contributing to the province’s economy and the larger role of potash in feeding the world.

Mosaic regularly engages its customers in crop nutrient education and business management principles through various events.

• Mosaic is committed to being an engaged business partner. Mosaic regularly engages its customers in crop nutrient education and business management principles through various events, such as Mosaic’s AgCollege, which hosts 250 of Mosaic’s strategic customers from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Australia, Chile, China and India for the premier education, personal growth and leadership development event for fertilizer retailers.
• As a member of The Fertilizer Institute, Fertilizer Canada, the Saskatchewan Mining Association and the Saskatchewan Potash Producers Association, Mosaic presents important information to government groups and decision-makers who directly impact operations, our current expansions, and our investments in our communities. For example, we have joined with The Fertilizer Institute and the Agriculture Retailers Association in support of the ResponsibleAg initiative, which will facilitate fertilizer retailers’ compliance with federal safety and security regulations and provide access to comprehensive inspections. Mosaic has registered eight of our facilities in Florida, Texas, Kentucky, Illinois and Minnesota for this program, committing to the principles of responsible storage and transportation of our products.
• Individually, Mosaic participates in ongoing consultation with both the provincial Government of Saskatchewan and the federal Government of Canada. Topics discussed with key stakeholders include the need for transportation infrastructure, regular consistency surrounding tax and the ability to work in partnership with the government to approach environmental sustainability.
• Stakeholders may reach Mosaic in several different ways:
  • Send comments or questions regarding this report to: mosaic.sustainability@mosaicco.com
  • Contact our Board of Directors via written communication in care of the General Counsel at the address of the Company’s executive offices, or by e-mail: directors@mosaicco.com

G4-SO2 Mosaic provides a great number of economic and social benefits to the local communities in which it operates. However, as with all mining activities, the extraction and beneficiation of phosphate and potash to meet the global demand for mineral fertilizer has the potential to cause environmental impacts. One such impact is the loss of farm output due to farmland being used for mining. The AEIS noted that Mosaic’s mining operations, as forecast for 2011 to 2050, will have a net positive economic impact on the local economy. Any economic effects from losses in farm output would be more than made up for by higher paying employment and economic activity resulting from mining.

Mosaic operates in a highly regulated and monitored industry. We work closely with state/provincial and federal officials on operations, expansions and sales to ascertain the environmental impact of industry activities on local communities. Through this collaboration, Mosaic has identified and implemented mitigation opportunities that safeguard local communities from potential negative impact. For more information on actual or potential impacts, please see the discussion of risk factors in our 10-K Report, page 21.

Resettlements, Closures and Disputes

G4-MM10 Mosaic’s phosphate mining is a land intensive operation. As such, our mine sites have to go through a detailed permitting process that involves determination and approval of ultimate closure, post-closure care and/or reclamation of our facilities. View Land & Reclamation for specific details of our efforts.

Mosaic has plans in place as required by governmental regulations for the closure and post-closure care of our phosphogypsum management systems at eight former and current phosphoric acid manufacturing plants in Florida and Louisiana. Similarly, Mosaic has plans in place as required by governmental regulations for the closure and post-closure care of all its Carlsbad and Saskatchewan mining operations.

For specific details on our estimated asset retirement obligations, refer to our 10-K Report (F-20).

Communicating with Our Stakeholders

G4-MM9 Mosaic’s potash and phosphate operations are well established mining regions with 50-plus years of operations. Mosaic purchased private properties in the vicinity of our operations in 2016, but no resettlements of communities took place. Mosaic has community relations managers who ensure potential impacts from our operations are communicated effectively to community associations. Community relations managers also work in conjunction with our land management office to address any questions or concerns raised by the community. Our Potash segment’s Land and Minerals Department works with individual landowners to ensure the appropriate level of consultation is employed, as is required by provincial legislation and internal policy.

G4-MM6, G4-MM7 There were no disputes related to the land use or customary rights of local communities and indigenous people in 2016. Before concerns or disputes arise, Mosaic strives to engage in an interactive dialogue with stakeholders, including local communities and interest groups, through means such as our Internet site and community microsites, tours of plants and mines, community advisory panels, town halls, and/or open houses.