Corporate
Responsibility
At CF
We are committed to doing the
right thing, every time, in all of
our business dealings.
How We Manage Corporate
Responsibility and Sustainability
Responsibility is inherent to our values and is an intrinsic part of our “Do It Right” culture.
We hold all 3,000 of our employees — from the corporate office to the plant floor — accountable for
collectively conducting our business in a responsible manner.
At the corporate level, our Director of Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) reports to the Senior Vice President of Manufacturing, who provides briefings to the CF Industries Board of Directors at every meeting.
Our internal councils also help develop and communicate environmental, occupational safety, process safety, security and emergency services best practices among our manufacturing and distribution facilities. The Director of EHS is also supported by a team of auditors who conduct audits and facilitate best practices across all CF operations.
Most of our philanthropic and social outreach initiatives are locally based. This enables each facility to address the unique needs and opportunities in their respective communities.
Strategic Planning
CF’s strategic planning process is designed to evaluate our industry environment, anticipate how it may change, and lay out our strategic response. As part of the groundwork for this process, a cross-functional team examines the long-term evolution of nitrogen demand, production capacity and energy costs. We also consider CF’s current business performance and the range of possible organic and inorganic growth opportunities. CF’s senior management team and Board of Directors review the resulting corporate strategy and long-term financial projections to inform our decision making on talent, capital expenditures, growth and capital allocation. Our strategy is also incorporated in the competencies and attributes used to assess director nominees as disclosed in the annual proxy statement.
Risk Management
Management of risk, including process safety and environmental risk, extends from our plant-level managers to the CF Board of Directors. A corporate risk management group leads an annual assessment process that includes extensive research and scoring methodology to identify and rank risks. Material risks are assigned to members of CF’s senior management team, who are responsible for risk monitoring and mitigation. The Board of Directors focuses on the adequacy of our risk management process and the effectiveness of our overall risk management program. In 2017, this included a review with management of material risks, as well as the likelihood of occurrence, the potential impact and the mitigating measures in each instance.
Ethics
We are committed to doing the right thing, every time, in all of our business dealings. CF’s commitment to ethical behavior is captured in our Code of Corporate Conduct, which applies to all directors, officers and employees, all of whom participate in Code of Corporate Conduct and anti-corruption training annually. In addition, all employees must acknowledge receiving and reading our EHS policy. Our sales professionals are also required to complete annual antitrust training.
Supply Chain
CF’s supply chain includes local, regional and global partners from whom we purchase products and services including natural gas, transportation, utilities, maintenance services and capital equipment. We ask all suppliers to abide by the CF Industries Third Party Code of Corporate Conduct as part of the purchase agreements. Suppliers, especially those of chemicals and other hazardous materials, are held to the same EHS standards as our internal operations. For this reason, comprehensive screening of our suppliers is critical. We work with third parties in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. to assist us with supplier screening and evaluation.
Corporate
Governance
CF Industries is committed to implementing sound corporate governance practices that enhance the effectiveness of our Board and management while engaging with our shareholders on matters of corporate governance.
Roll over each icon
to view our corporate
governance practices.
All directors
are independent,
except CEO
Separate Independent
Chairman of the
Board and CEO
Regular assessment of board composition, capabilities and attributes, including diversity
Annual board and committee evaluations, including self and peer evaluations
Annual election of directors
Majority voting for directors in uncontested elections
No supermajority voting
provisions in charter or bylaws
Independent directors meet
regularly in executive session
Stock ownership requirements for directors and executive officers
Stockholder ability to call
special meeting
Robust stakeholder engagement
Policy on adoption of a
stockholder rights plan
Publish an annual
sustainability report
Report twice per year on the company’s political contributions
Proxy access
Stakeholder Engagement
We believe in fostering open communication with all of our stakeholders, including investors, customers,
employees, farmers and our communities. We engage with each group through appropriate channels and on issues
that matter most to them. Key partners include:
