Zuellig Pharma awarded EcoVadis Platinum Medal for third consecutive year and rated leader in carbon management
- Written by: Telegraph Magazine
In addition to the platinum certification, EcoVadis has also rated Zuellig Pharma as a leader in carbon management, which demonstrates its best-in-class greenhouse gas (GHG) management system and strong decarbonisation ambition with approved science-based targets.
In 2023, Zuellig Pharma received an overall EcoVadis score of 82, compared to a global and Asia average of 48 and 33 points respectively. Zuellig Pharma's work in human rights and sustainable procurement, alongside its work to reduce carbon emissions was recognised by EcoVadis in particular, placing it among the top 1% of all organisations evaluated.
Since 2020, Zuellig Pharma has achieved marked improvement in its overall EcoVadis score with a total increase of 18 points, while other organisations increased their scores by 1.7 points on average in the same duration. The company has been rated consistently above the industry standard across all four pillars which include environment, labour and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement.
"This recognition by EcoVadis for the third year in a row is a testament to our long-standing commitment to sustainability, as we strive to be a world-class healthcare solutions company that builds a healthier future for Asia," said John Graham, CEO, Zuellig Pharma.
"A major contributor to the success of our sustainability efforts is ensuring year-on-year improvements across key metrics and diligently building an action plan to address the gaps identified from the previous assessment," he added.
As part of its efforts to prioritise human rights and sustainable procurement, the company launched a pilot programme "Elevating Worker Voice" in 2022, to monitor and address any labour risks in its supply chain in three markets including Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Leveraging its partnership with The Mekong Club, a non-profit organisation specialising in detecting and eliminating modern slavery in Asia, a survey was conducted to understand the conditions faced by workers engaged by Zuellig Pharma's suppliers. With the survey results, debriefs were conducted with suppliers, alongside collaborative efforts to address shortfalls in practices. This year, Zuellig Pharma plans to establish regional guidelines for the inclusion of worker surveys as part of supplier audits and implement the programme in sites across the region.
In 2022, the company also successfully reduced its overall greenhouse gas emissions by 31% and made progress against its Science Based Targets through initiatives such as the greening of its fleets and facilities, the migration of regional services to cloud-based data centres and partnerships with suppliers to drive emission and waste reduction. The introduction of such initiatives allowed Zuellig Pharma to readjust its operations to be more energy efficient, and successfully reduced its material value chain emissions and overall carbon footprint.
Earlier this year, Zuellig Pharma announced its score of "A-" for Supplier Engagement from global carbon disclosure platform CDP, making it the first and only company worldwide in its activity group to receive this recognition. The company was also awarded a score of "B" for Climate Change. CDP is a not-for-profit charity that runs the global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities, states, and regions to manage their environmental impact.
Its latest Sustainability Report can be found here.
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About Zuellig Pharma
Zuellig Pharma is a leading healthcare solutions company in Asia, and our mission is to make healthcare more accessible to the communities we serve. We provide world-class distribution, digital and commercial services to support the growing healthcare needs in this region. The company was started a hundred years ago and has grown to become a multi-billion dollar business covering 16 markets with over 12,000 employees. Our people serve more than 200,000 medical facilities and work with over 450 clients, including the top 20 pharmaceutical companies in the world.
