The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that climate change is one of the greatest health threats for humanity, with an estimated one in four deaths attributed to environmental causes. As climate change increases the planet’s temperature, wildfires, air pollution, and the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, we each have a role to play in addressing this impact, including those working in and serving our primary health care practices.
Recognizing our impact on the environment, we embrace our responsibility to manage it and drive positive change across our global value chain. We believe that for a meaningful contribution to climate mitigation, we need to collaborate across our industry and its supply chain, and take actions rooted in evidence and climate science. This is why we joined the Business Ambition for 1.5°C Initiative in 2021. As part of that commitment, we submitted our targets to the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) in early 2024 and are working towards validation later in 2024.
We aim for emission reductions through efficiency and mitigation measures as well as active sourcing of renewable electricity, purchasing products and services that originate from more sustainable sources, and engaging with customers and suppliers along our value chain on joint decarbonization projects. We do this in the following four action areas.
Click on each area below to learn more.
Our global employee volunteering efforts such as beach clean-ups and planting gardens and trees add value to our communities and contribute to the health of the environment in which we live and work.
Our global marketing and sales program targets the sustainability efforts of our customers and suppliers by offering products, solutions, and resources.
We focus on operational initiatives across our supply chain that contribute to a circular economy by responsibly managing our waste and water footprints.
Guided by our science-based targets, Net Zero 2050 is a company-wide climate roadmap to significantly reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, and approach net zero by 2050.