As a B Corp, Chiesi is serious about behaviour change. We believe protecting patient health and the environment should not be a matter of compromise. We will not only reduce our environmental footprint by managing our operations but by rethinking and innovating our products – for the benefit of patients, people and planet.
With the decision to change our legal status to a Benefit Corporation,11 Chiesi has made sustainability contractual and legally binding, by incorporating a double purpose for the creation of shared value, and therefore to generate value for its business, for society and the environment.
Moreover: by achieving B Corp certification,12 measuring and reporting both its positive and negative impact transparently and amplifying it throughout our value chain through the Code of Interdependence13, Chiesi is going far beyond carbon reduction.
In March 2021, Chiesi joined the B Corp Climate Collective (BCCC), committing to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) “Race to Zero.” This is a global campaign to rally leadership and support from businesses, cities, regions, investors for a greener future. The objective is to build momentum around the shift to a decarbonised economy.
In May 2021, Chiesi unveiled its plan to become carbon neutral, the most ambitious science-based standard at the time. Our carbon neutrality strategy already has a strong focus on emissions reduction so this feels like a natural evolution of our existing plans.
In June 2022, Chiesi signed the White House Climate Pledge to decarbonize the healthcare sector in US and reduce greenhouse gas emissions 50% by 2030. In December 2022, Chiesi was included on CDP’s Climate Change A List for its commitment to climate action and transparency. 283 out of 15,000 companies who submitted data received the A grade recognition.14
We are proud to have taken decisive and ambitious action to ensure patients can continue to access the therapeutic options that best suit their needs, whilst simultaneously innovating our production to find the most environmentally-conscious solution available.15 We strongly believe that patients should not have to shoulder the burden of environmental responsibility when considering treatment options that affect their health.
We consider our sustainability journey as an ongoing process, we are always improving and setting tougher goals.
We have a clear action plan to reduce our emissions where possible: our mitigation strategy focusses on avoiding and reducing carbon-intensive processes so that we can reach our targets without the need for significant emissions removals. As set out by the SBTi, an overreliance on carbon offsets creates multiple problems around land use, equity, fairness and climate justice.16Their net-zero standard focusses on significant emissions reductions of at least 90%, leaving a small proportion which can be accounted for via emission neutralization. It’s a bold and ambitious plan we can believe in.