This commitment is reflected in our environmental sustainability agenda, which is articulated around clearly-defined areas of focus where we can make a positive impact now and in the future. Drawing on a science-based approach, we constantly explore and evaluate opportunities to further minimize the environmental footprint of our operations and our products. Our Aesthetics, Consumer Care and Prescription Medicine businesses are all part of this journey.
Based on guiding principles aligned with the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, our overall ambition is to have no or minimal detrimental environmental impact from our activities across the globe. We aim to inspire employees at all levels to engage proactively in environmental initiatives in the workplace and beyond. We foster ongoing, transparent communication with our key internal and external stakeholders. Through our Responsible Sourcing program, we work with suppliers and partners to advance sustainability efforts in a coordinated manner.
Throughout the value chain, we track and reduce our direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions, water use and waste. Across our portfolio, we implement assessment of environmental impact in formulation, packaging design and distribution, with our key global brands such as Restylane® and Cetaphil® at the forefront.
WE CURRENTLY FOCUS OUR EFFORTS ON THREE MAIN AREAS WHERE WE HAVE DELIVERED CONCRETE RESULTS:
CARING FOR WATER
Water is our most precious resource and we continue to invest in measures to preserve water supply everywhere we operate. We currently run programs to reduce consumption, recycle and reuse water in our factories and research facilities. Between 2010 and 2019, these efforts enabled us to reduce water consumption in our factories by 26% per ton of product, ahead of our initial 2020 plan.
ACTING ON CLIMATE CHANGE
Between 2010 and 2019, we reduced direct greenhouse gas emissions from production by 52%, ahead of our initial 2020 plan. This is primarily based on conversion to renewable energy, which now accounts for 95% of the electricity we use. We are taking steps to be totally carbon neutral in our factories in 2030. Three of our four factory sites use 100% renewable electricity from a combination of solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal, biofuel and biomass. Our fourth factory is on track to also be using 100% renewable electricity by 2024. All our factories are certified ISO 14001 (International Environmental Management System).
SAFEGUARDING THE ENVIRONMENT
Our four factories all achieved zero waste to landfill at the beginning of 2019 – ahead of our initial 2020 plan. We are using the results of our life-cycle analysis to optimize the environmental impact of our products by prioritizing our initiatives in eco-design, manufacturing and transportation. Through our Responsible Sourcing program, we evaluate and select our suppliers and outsourced producers based on their environmental performance.
