Growing environmental awareness has led to revolutionary changes in the way society perceives agriculture and farming. To satisfy the ever-growing needs to feed the planet, there has been a shift towards cooperation and collaboration with nature, rather than ‘conquest’ and struggle – which typified the approach of the past.

This has practical implications for the agrochemical industry, which now takes things such as protection of natural ecosystems, habitats, and biodiversity seriously. Specifically, dissertation prevention (an area related to soil health) has been getting increased attention, fueled by the worsening global water crisis.

Whether you look at the upcoming EU microplastic regulations or fertilizer directives, or at the trends in the USA, the outcome is clear – the agrochemical industry will have to resign from certain chemistries and look to products with sustainable, renewable, biodegradable, natural and non-hazardous qualities.

At IMCD, we proactively embrace these trends, partnering with leading industry suppliers that offer unique and innovative portfolios of formulation ingredients. This includes environmentally friendly, sustainable solvents; adjuvants for targeted and ‘smart’ pesticide delivery and biodegradable seed-coating polymers. In addition to this, IMCD focuses on modern and science-based biostimulants as a solution that can help in the reduction of pesticide use while keeping the yields high.