Monsanto Ranks Third on CPA-Zicklin Index for Political Disclosures

The Center for Political Accountability (CPA) today recognized Monsanto Company as a top company for corporate disclosures related to political spending. The CPA-Zicklin Index of Corporate Political Disclosure and Accountability, in its 5th year, provides a comprehensive portrait of how S&P 500 companies are navigating political spending around disclosure and board oversight. This year Monsanto received a third-place ranking, out of 500 companies on the index. With a score of 94.3, Monsanto shares the No. 3 spot with seven other companies.

“When it comes to our corporate expenditures related to government affairs, we’ve heard clearly from shareowners and stakeholders that they’d like more information with less confusion,” said Michael Dykes, Government Affairs Lead at Monsanto. “We’ve taken several steps this past year to improve how we provide those details. We are pleased to be noted for our continuous improvement.”

The CPA-Zicklin Index recognized Monsanto alongside other large publicly traded companies. Ranked companies were scored based on several key indicators including disclosure and oversight, spending restrictions, indirect spending and independent expenditures.

“Voluntary disclosure of political spending is fast becoming a mainstream practice, and companies like Monsanto are leading the way in how disclosure should be done,” said CPA president Bruce Freed. “We measure the transparency policies and accountability practices of companies in the S&P 500, and we salute the leading companies that have received top-tier ratings for doing the right thing voluntarily.”

The Center for Political Accountability releases its index in conjunction with the Carol and Lawrence Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. The Index looks at the largest and most influential public companies in the United States which establish the best practices for American business. The full CPA-Zicklin Index report is available on the CPA website at www.politicalaccountability.net.

Third-party organizations continue to recognize Monsanto as a good corporate citizen and an employer of choice. In 2015, Monsanto has been recognized as a Great Place to Work® in 12 countries, as one of the World’s Most Admired Companies by Forbes®Magazine and as one of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens by CR Magazine, among others. For more information on recent awards, see Monsanto’s list of recent recognitions. For details on Monsanto’s governance and performance according to Global Reporting Initiative principles, download the company’s 2014 Sustainability Report.

About Monsanto Company

Monsanto is committed to bringing a broad range of solutions to help nourish our growing world. We produce seeds for fruits, vegetables and key crops – such as corn, soybeans and cotton – that help farmers have better harvests while using water and other important resources more efficiently. We work to find sustainable solutions for soil health, help farmers use data to improve farming practices and conserve natural resources, and provide crop protection products to minimize damage from pests and disease. Through programs and partnerships, we collaborate with farmers, researchers, nonprofit organizations, universities and others to help tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges. To learn more about Monsanto, our commitments and our more than 20,000 dedicated employees, please visit discover.monsanto.com and monsanto.com. Follow our business on Twitter® at twitter.com/MonsantoCo, on the company blog, Beyond the Rows® at monsantoblog.com or subscribe to our News Release RSS Feed.

About the Center for Political Accountability

CPA is a non-profit, non-partisan organization created in November 2003 to bring transparency and accountability to corporate political spending. The Carol and Lawrence Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research at The Wharton School works to sponsor and disseminate leading edge research on critical topics in business ethics.

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