Big Pharma companies are huge behemoths that span the globe, employ thousands of people and run hundreds of buildings, trial sites, offices and HQs.
With that size comes great responsibility, and, like so many other industries, pharma is thinking more and more about its impact on the world and its climate.
AstraZeneca, which employs more than 83,000 people around the world and has major hubs in Europe, the Americas and Asia, is looking to drive awareness about its environmental, social and governance work that includes its flagship $1 billion "Ambition Zero Carbon" program aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from global operations by 98% by 2026 and becoming carbon negative by decade’s end.
To help promote its sustainability work, it is launching “Science Can,” a campaign that includes a new video setting out how climate change can harm health and how companies like AstraZeneca are looking to change the way it works to help reduce its own environmental impact while also looking to make more medicines in a more diverse and collaborative way.
“Sustainability is fundamental, not only to the health of the planet, but to the health of our society and people,” an AstraZeneca spokesperson told Fierce Pharma Marketing in an email.
“We know it’s not only global temperatures and sea levels that are rising, but rates of chronic disease and levels of health inequality too. We believe that science is key to helping unlock the answers to these challenges. So, we are looking at every part of our business to see how we can make a difference, ensuring sustainability is part of our DNA and embedded into everything we do.”
That includes Ambition Zero Carbon as well as trying to increase access to life-changing medical treatments. That includes its recent work in helping healthcare professionals across Africa access the latest medical education and training.
Environmental sustainability has become an increasingly common theme within the pharma industry as companies work to establish a responsible corporate image before the public.
Editor's Note: The story has been updated with the correct title of the campaign.