The Mosaic Company (MOS) — ESG & Values Scores

Environment story

Mosaic faces material environmental risks but has disclosed limited quantitative climate commitments. No net-zero target year is publicly disclosed in source documents, triggering a 15-point deduction. Scope 3 emissions (supply-chain, product-use) are not quantified, warranting a 15-point deduction. The company operates phosphate and potash mines with documented water-management and tailings-impoundment risks, and faces RCRA Consent Decrees in Florida and Louisiana. Phosphogypsum stack systems, tailing dams, and brine-inflow hazards at Esterhazy K1/K2 mines (closed June 2021) represent significant localized environmental liabilities. The company acknowledges climate-change exposure but states it cannot predict prospective impacts. No verified investments in physical decarbonization infrastructure are disclosed; reliance on financial offsets and third-party arrangements is not evident from filings. Greenwashing checklist: No evidence of offset-only strategy disclosed, but lack of Scope 3 and net-zero target suggests incomplete climate positioning.

Criticisms on file

RCRA Consent Decrees – Florida and Louisiana phosphate facilities required to meet stringent water-management objectives following high water balances and FDEP rule adoption; EPA and Louisiana DEQ also enforce similar requirements.
Source: MOS_10k.txt – Item 1A Risk Factors, Environmental, Health and Safety
Esterhazy K1/K2 Potash Mine Closure – Brine water inflows since December 1985, accelerating conditions led to June 4, 2021 closure announcement; Colonsay, Carlsbad, and K3 mines also subject to inflow risks.
Source: MOS_10k.txt – Item 1A Risk Factors, Operational Risks
Phosphogypsum Stack and Tailings Dam Risks – Geologic features in central Florida may affect impoundment integrity; failure or breach could cause severe property damage, environmental damage, loss of life, and facility shutdown.
Source: MOS_10k.txt – Item 1A Risk Factors, Regulatory Risks
Miski Mayo Mine (Peru) Social and Environmental Conflicts – Company holds majority interest in joint venture; risk of protests and supply disruption due to volatile conditions and social conflicts in natural-resource extraction sector.
Source: MOS_10k.txt – Item 1A Risk Factors, Operational Risks
Hurricane and Extreme Weather Impacts – Company experienced production impacts from Hurricanes Ida (2021), Ian (2022), and Francine, Helene, Milton (2024); excess rainfall and drought adversely affect operations and customer uptake.
Source: MOS_10k.txt – Item 1A Risk Factors, Operational Risks
Federal Court Decision on Clean Water Act Section 404 Permitting – Recent federal court decision invalidated Florida's assumption of 404 dredge-and-fill permitting program, returning authority to federal agencies; decision is under appeal and may complicate/delay permit approvals.
Source: MOS_10k.txt – Item 1A Risk Factors, Regulatory Risks

Disclosed initiatives

Tailings Management Alignment (GISTM)

Company states it manages tailings structures in accordance with legal requirements and is implementing actions to align with Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM) principles established by ICMM, UN environment program, and PRI.
Process Water Management Compliance

Florida and Louisiana facilities subject to RCRA Consent Decrees requiring compliance with stringent process-water management objectives for phosphogypsum stack systems.

Social story

Mosaic reports a unionized workforce covered by collective bargaining agreements, creating labor-relations sensitivities. CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio is not explicitly disclosed in proxy or 10-K; without this figure, the company does not receive a deduction, but this is a material gap. Leadership diversity is not quantified in the filings reviewed; Board composition shows 12 directors, of which representation data is limited to names and titles. No evidence of active union-suppression activities or major strikes in the last 24 months is documented, so no deduction applies. Supply-chain audits and human-rights hazard disclosures are minimal; the company operates in Brazil, Peru, and India with acknowledged risks (e.g., Peru protests, Brazil financing guarantees). No formal modern-slavery statement, forced-labor policy, or supply-chain audits are disclosed. The company faces reputational and operational risks related to labor availability and wage expectations, particularly as profitability fluctuates.

Criticisms on file

Labor Relations Risk – Risk of strikes, work stoppages, or slowdowns due to unsuccessful contract negotiations; potential for increased demands and adverse labor relations as profitability increases.
Source: MOS_10k.txt – Item 1A Risk Factors, Operational Risks
Brazil Customer Financing Guarantees – Company guarantees customer financing from financial institutions in Brazil where third-party financing is limited; exposed to risk of customer defaults and agricultural/commodity volatility.
Source: MOS_10k.txt – Item 1A Risk Factors, Financial Risks

Disclosed initiatives

Collective Bargaining Agreements

Significant workforce covered by collective bargaining agreements with unions; company operates 401(k) Plan and Union Savings Plan with voting restrictions.
Human Capital and Talent Attraction

Board's Compensation and Human Resources Committee oversees ESG matters relevant to Human Capital report included in 2025 10-K; company acknowledges competition for talented workforce in mining and chemicals industries.

Governance story

Mosaic maintains a board composition with 11 independent directors out of 12 total (91.7% independence), exceeding the 75% threshold and supporting strong governance. The company does not operate a dual-class voting structure, eliminating that governance risk. However, the company does not disclose annual lobbying expenditures or identify specific lobbying activities targeting environmental deregulation or consumer-protection rollbacks in source documents. The 10-K details extensive regulatory proceedings and financial assurance requirements, but no material antitrust, consumer-safety, or fraud consent decrees are disclosed in the documents provided. Board committees are fully independent and well-structured (Audit, Compensation and Human Resources, Corporate Governance and Nominating, Environmental Health Safety and Sustainable Development). The company has adopted corporate governance guidelines, director stock ownership guidelines, retirement policies, and robust risk-oversight processes. No evidence of shareholder litigation seeking to block climate proposals is documented.

Criticisms on file

CVD Litigation – Moroccan and Russian phosphate producers initiated federal court actions seeking to overturn countervailing duty orders issued by DOC in 2021; Mosaic contested certain aspects of DOC determinations; litigation remains underway with risk of potential reversal or change affecting business.
Source: MOS_10k.txt – Item 1A Risk Factors, Operational Risks
Environmental Litigation – Company involved in proceedings alleging or reviewing violation of environmental laws in U.S. and Brazil; private parties have alleged personal injury, property damage, or business damage from operations.
Source: MOS_10k.txt – Item 1A Risk Factors, Regulatory Risks
Financial Assurance Compliance Risk – Company subject to financial assurance requirements as condition of permits; if unable to satisfy state financial strength tests, must use alternative compliance methods (cash escrows, surety bonds, letters of credit) imposing additional expense and liquidity impact.
Source: MOS_10k.txt – Item 1A Risk Factors, Regulatory Risks

Disclosed initiatives

Board Risk Oversight

Board responsible for oversight of enterprise risk management; ERM Committee (cross-functional executive team) reviews activities with full Board periodically. Each Board committee assists in risk oversight per charter.
Corporate Governance Guidelines and Policies

Company maintains written Corporate Governance Guidelines, director stock ownership guidelines (5x annual base retainer within 5 years), board retirement policy (directors age 74+ must resign), and conflict-of-interest policies.
Audit Committee Financial Expertise

All five Audit Committee members are financially literate and meet NYSE/SEC independence requirements. Four members (Beebe, Ebel, Little, Seaton) qualify as SEC-defined audit committee financial experts.
Environmental, Health, Safety and Sustainable Development Committee

EHSS Committee oversees management's plans, programs, and processes to evaluate and manage EHSS risks; monitors quality of risk identification, assessment, and management.

These are Missionomics' own editorial scores — directional signals built from disclosed facts under a published method, not certifications or definitive ratings of The Mosaic Company. Coverage and confidence vary by data point, and figures can lag real-world changes. Read the full Methodology for sourcing, scoring, and correction details — or open The Mosaic Company in the app for interactive charts and portfolio building.

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