As a B Corp, Chiesi Group 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 Corporation12, Chiesi has made sustainability contractually and legally binding, by incorporating a dual purpose for the creation of shared value, and therefore to generate value for its business, for society and the environment.
By achieving B Corp certification in 2019 and re-certification in 202213, measuring and reporting both its positive and negative impact transparently and amplifying it throughout our value chain through the Code of Interdependence14, 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”15. This is a global campaign to rally leadership and support from businesses, cities, regions, and 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 time16. Our carbon neutrality strategy already had a strong focus on emissions reduction, so this was a natural evolution of our existing plans.
In October 2021, following the publication of the new SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standard Chiesi decided to transition from carbon neutrality to the new standard of net zero emissions. This choice has increased our ambitions: we are now working to revise our reduction targets to fully adopt the more stringent requirements of the new standard.
In June 2022, Chiesi signed17 the White House Climate Pledge to decarbonise the healthcare sector in the US and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 203018. In December 2022, Chiesi was included on CDP’s Climate Change A List19 for its commitment to climate action and transparency. Only 283 out of 15,000 companies who submitted data received the A grade recognition.
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 available20. We strongly believe that patients should not have to shoulder the burden of environmental responsibility when considering treatment options that affect their health.
As we continue to set more ambitious emissions reduction targets, our sustainability journey remains an ongoing process. We are dedicated to constant improvement, consistently raising the bar for ourselves, and committing to increasingly challenging goals.21
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 justice22. SBTi’s net-zero standard focusses on significant emissions reductions of at least 90%, leaving a small proportion which can be accounted for via emission neutralisation23. Our plan is bold and ambitious, and we believe in it.
In the face of a global climate crisis, we must all share the burden of action.