Syngenta and Gibbs & Soell Share Honor for Leadership in Corporate Social Responsibility

Raleigh, NC, December 09, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Syngenta Crop Protection and its agency Gibbs & Soell Public Relations have been recognized with a 2010 Communitas Award for leadership in community service and corporate social responsibility. The Communitas Awards program is organized by the Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals, which acknowledges creative achievement and fosters partnerships with charities and community organizations.

The Communitas honor was given to the Weeding out Hunger with Halex® GT campaign, which was created by Gibbs & Soell and launched in early 2010. After learning that more than 49 million Americans suffer from hunger, Syngenta introduced its Weeding out Hunger campaign to engage growers in supporting food banks in corn-growing regions of the United States. The effort also created a positive way for Halex GT to stand out in the marketplace and offered another channel for Syngenta to advance its mission of helping to feed nine billion people by 2050.

The Weeding out Hunger campaign was launched in January, and throughout the year the campaign was showcased at nine trade shows and several other industry events. Attendees were encouraged to donate non-perishable food items and to register to win a $500 donation to the food bank of their choice. In addition, the campaign made several donations to local food banks in the cities where these shows were held.

The campaign also went on the road with food collections at grocery stores and industry events. The Weeding out Hunger truck made 90 stops in 11 states over the course of eight weeks. During the tour, Syngenta customers and retail partners directly participated in the campaign, and to conclude the road show Syngenta employees volunteered and hosted an event in Greensboro, N.C., where more than 3,500 pounds of food were donated.

“Syngenta believes in thinking globally to grow more crops from less land, but the Weeding out Hunger campaign has allowed us to act locally to help our neighbors in need,” said David Pinon, senior communications manager at Syngenta. “We have thousands of employees who commit their time to research technologies that can help growers boost their crop yields, and they have a similar passion for helping fight hunger in America.”

Through this campaign effort more than five tons of food were collected and distributed throughout the corn-growing regions of the United States, and $100,000 of 2010 Halex GT sales was donated to 78 Feeding America food banks in 24 states.

“Gibbs & Soell is proud to help Syngenta and its partners raise awareness for a cause that affects millions of people,” said Cos Mallozzi, CEO of Gibbs & Soell. “This campaign demonstrates the power of creativity and ingenuity in mobilizing the agricultural community to help bring food to the tables of so many families.”

Gibbs & Soell offers communications expertise to top-tier corporations, organizations and brands in advanced manufacturing and energy, agribusiness and food, consumer lifestyle and building solutions, greentech and sustainability, professional services, and technology and general science. The firm’s portfolio of services includes corporate communications, marketing communications, event marketing, digital and social media, leadership positioning, employee communications, communications training, and communications research and evaluation.

About Gibbs & Soell:

Founded in 1971, Gibbs & Soell is the eighth largest independent public relations agency in the U.S. (O’Dwyer’s 2010 PR Agency Report). Headquartered in New York City, G&S has full-service offices in Chicago, Raleigh, N.C. and Zurich, Switzerland. The G&S global network includes Cosmo PR in Tokyo, Inhere Communications in Beijing and Shanghai, and the Public Relations Organisation International partnership. For more information, please visit www.gibbs-soell.com.

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