COP26 Voices

Phillippa Overson, Head of Crop Campaign Marketing UK & Ireland, Agricultural Solutions

My sustainability passion
I’ve worked in agriculture for all of my career (let’s not go into how long that is!) and have always been very proud to be part of the industry. As far as sustainability goes what has impressed me the most is just how invested and creative farmers can be when it comes to solving problems. They are so much a part of the landscape here in the UK and have so much love for the environment they take care of that they are already looking into how they can help solve the climate problems. As a manufacturer, we need to help them to figure out what to change and how to do it, and I’m really pleased that BASF is playing its part in areas such as digital farming, sustainable stewardship and climate-smart farming.

Our products, part of the solution
I think there is often some confusion for those of us in BASF Agricultural Solutions around what industry we’re in – it’s ultimately the food business! At the end of the day, our products and efforts help growers produce safe food and plenty of it throughout the British Isles. We also ensure through compliance with regulations, education around safe use and stewardship that this is achieved with the minimum impact on the environment. It’s traceable so we know what we’re eating and what’s been used to grow it and the air miles are low.  

Be an advocate
Our industry needs advocates to speak up about the excellent work that is already being done on farms in terms of sustainability. Beyond that we all have a part to play in reducing our personal, as well as our professional, impact on the environment. There are many ways in which we can make a positive contribution, for example, teaming up with colleagues to lift-share to work, holding meetings virtually and reducing our domestic carbon footprint by buying local food, minimising food waste and recycling everything we can. Many BASF employees grow some of their own fruits and vegetables in their gardens and compost their vegetable food waste – not only is this good for the environment but food miles are reduced to metres! For those of us lucky enough to live near farm shops, buying local offers a great deal of opportunity to bring local action to our climate consciousness. In the UK we have an excellent network of independent food retailers, farmers’ markets and food manufacturers; increasingly many are now providing refill services for bulk foods such as pasta, rice and tea. All these small things add up if we all make a determined effort to change our habits, to think environment first.