• Volume of EUR 200 million with a term of five years
• Consideration of sustainability indicators
• Loan agreement without financial covenants

KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA has signed a syndicated credit line with a volume of EUR 200 million with an option to increase it by EUR 100 million. The credit line replaces the existing credit line due in June 2025 ahead of schedule and has a term of five years with an option to extend by two years. The renewed syndicated credit line provides KWS with additional financial flexibility, the previous credit line (since 2019) has not been drawn. 

Due to KWS's strong financial position, the participating banks have waived the agreement of financial covenants. Another new feature is the linking of financing costs to KWS's sustainability performance. Depending on the degree to which selected sustainability indicators have achieved their targets, KWS's borrowing costs will be reduced or increased.

The three selected sustainability indicators cover the areas of ecology, innovation and social issues. The CO₂ intensity (based on Scope 1 & 2 emissions) was selected as the environmental indicator. The average annual yield growth of the KWS variety portfolio serves as an indicator of innovative strength. In the social field, an employee safety metric (OSHA accident rate) has been considered. The indicators are also part of the KWS Sustainability Initiative 2030.

A consortium of seven banks has participated in the credit line. The coordination was carried out by DZ Bank, ING and HSBC.

About KWS

KWS is one of the world’s leading plant breeding companies. Nearly 5,000 employees* in more than 70 countries generated net sales of around €1.68 billion in the fiscal year 2023/2024. A company with a tradition of family ownership, KWS has operated independently for almost 170 years. It focuses on plant breeding and the production and sale of seed for sugarbeet, corn, cereals, vegetables, oilseed rape and sunflower. KWS uses leading-edge plant breeding methods to continuously improve yield for farmers and plants’ resistance to diseases, pests and abiotic stress. To that end, the company invested more than €300 million last fiscal year in research and development.
*excl. seasonal workforce

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Peter Vogt  
Head of Investor Relations
Phone: 90