Silke: Sustainability is deeply embedded in our company. It is a fundamental part of our history and culture, and it is essential for our future success. In 2024, we have reinforced our long-standing commitment by further integrating sustainability into our updated corporate strategy, setting a clear focus on six priority areas where we can make the most significant impact. These areas revolve around access to healthcare, our people and the environment, as well as a continued commitment to and strengthening of good governance.
Barend: Additionally, we realise the challenges we face in healthcare and society are too big for one company to tackle alone. We are thus committed to collaborating beyond Roche to drive systemic change.
Silke: There are many, including the impact of climate change on the planet and human health, loss of nature, and the rise of geopolitical tensions and conflicts exacerbating inequalities. And for us as a healthcare company, making healthcare more accessible, equitable and sustainable for everyone is a major focus of our efforts.
Our most significant contributions to society are our transformative medicines and diagnostics, and ensuring they are accessible to people. We are here to improve patient outcomes. With both our Diagnostics and Pharmaceuticals Divisions, we have a unique capability to shift the paradigm towards prevention, earlier diagnosis and treatment, as well as more effective chronic disease management. Healthcare systems are seeking exactly this kind of transformational change to address immense challenges, including the increasing disease burdens and rising costs.
Barend: It is well understood that planetary health, human health and prosperity are interconnected, and we thus have committed to creating long-term societal and financial value, addressing not only health but also environmental and social challenges. This includes working within and beyond healthcare to make a broader impact on society. It will take innovation and collaboration and we all have a role to play.
Barend: We are doing a lot, as shown in our Sustainability Report. We made significant strides across key sustainability priorities, including healthcare access, health equity, work environment, climate action, sustainable products and biodiversity. In terms of access, we expanded for example pre-eclampsia screening in Latin America and launched EMPOWER 2.0 in Kenya, screening over 300,000 women for cervical and breast cancer. In health equity, we increased diverse representation in clinical trials. Our work environment initiatives include promoting mental health and well-being globally with our Live Well programme, offering training, workshops and coaching. On climate, we submitted ambitious net-zero targets to the Science Based Targets initiative1 and commissioned a zero-emissions facility. Sustainable product innovations reduced waste and emissions, while water conservation efforts prioritised reduction of water usage and protection of sensitive ecosystem and its biodiversity.
Silke: Sustainability is a broad societal issue, and we will do our part. It is crucial for our long-term success and is thus a long-term commitment for us, with many milestones to reach along the way. Advances in technology, careful prioritisation of resources, and entirely new levels of collaboration are needed. One of our milestones is to achieve net-zero emissions across Roche’s entire value chain by 2045. I am particularly proud of our ambition to reach absolute zero scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2050. We are the only ones in the industry striving for absolute zero. Our commitment goes beyond reducing CO₂ emissions, of course. And it will surely not end in 2050. It is an ongoing way of how we do business.
Barend: Exactly. And it won’t be easy, for anyone. It will require focus, investment and wide-scale change, which takes time in our highly regulated industry. But we are prepared to make the right decisions and invest wisely. It is the right thing to do if eight to ten billion people are to live well within the boundaries of our planet.
Silke: Sustainability is truly intrinsic to who we are, how we work, and to our future success. We are committed to the path ahead.
References:
1 The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) provides a framework for companies to reach net zero.
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