Religious organizations such as the Society of Jesus together with Aquinas and other
like-minded investors leveraged prior dialogs with the company on environmental and
human safety issue areas. Monsanto had brought in new management at the start of the
Twentieth Century to replace corrupt prior management. Shareholders encouraged
Monsanto to adopt a Human Rights Policy and then to implement action programs to
build into their culture and compliance programs.
In 2009,Monsanto developed a comprehensive basic human rights program. They hired Business for Social Responsibility and have implemented programs for all 36 countries where they operate. The ten countries with the most human rights challenges have specific actions to correct shortfalls in areas of child labor, forced labor, wages, and worker safety. Additionally, Monsanto has established champions within the company to help guide continuous improvement. Aquinas staff has reviewed and participated in company-wide training packages which are in many languages. Aquinas reserved the right to be involved in future steps and to provide examples of best practices
