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.
