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3 ways that BD is fighting climate change

Striving for a healthy planet with healthy patients

Advancing the world of health means sustaining a resilient system of care for not only our patients, but for our planet as well.

At BD, we recognise that optimal care can only exist when patients are living in a healthy and thriving environment, and there is much work yet to be done.

Discover our latest commitments to fighting climate change, from sustainability in medical devices, to responsible supply chain and transparency in our environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy.

1. Sustainable development goals

With our new ESG strategy, Together We Advance, we are embracing the connectivity between the health of our company, the planet, our communities and the people we serve to realise a healthy, resilient world for all.

Under this strategy, we’ve made commitments in five specific areas where we see the most opportunity to create meaningful, measurable change over the next decade:1

  • Climate change—Minimise our contribution to global emissions and utilise our capabilities to address unmet health needs for climate-vulnerable populations.
  • Product impact—Reduce the environmental impact of our portfolio and address the sustainability needs of our customers.
  • Responsible supply chain—Create a supply chain adaptable to disruption and able to contribute to strong environmental and social performance.
  • Healthy workforce and communities—Maintain a healthy and thriving workforce that cultivates our culture of inclusion, safety, well-being and contributes to community health.
  • Transparency—Invite trust across stakeholder groups through transparent performance reporting on ESG issues relevant to our business.

To learn more about the Together We Advance strategy and to learn more about our goals for the future, read our 2021 ESG Report.

2. Sustainability in medical devices

Many medical devices, such as disposable syringes, are made of single-use plastics (SUPs), responsible for widespread environmental pollution and the growing carbon footprint of the healthcare industry.2

In 2020, over 32 billion pounds of healthcare plastics were produced globally, most of which is being disposed of in landfills or by incineration.3 This number is expected to grow to 48 billion pounds by 2025.3

To develop greater sustainability in medical device manufacturing, BD researchers and engineers partnered with quality, regulatory, policy and operational experts to form the Sustainable Medical Technology Institute in April 2022.

The committee focuses on reducing the environmental impact of the company’s product portfolio in three areas:4

  • Adopting sustainable product design strategies
  • Developing and deploying sustainable sterilisation technologies
  • Addressing materials of concern (MOC)

Dr Amit Limaye, Director of the Sustainable Medical Technology Institute and Director of Sustainability, Research and Development at BD, said, “It is our vision to create a strategic roadmap that will be integral across the organisation, demonstrating how an ethical and sustainable company can drive growth, while meeting patient and customer needs in the most environmentally sustainable way possible.”4

To learn more about the BD Sustainable Medical Technology Institute and their advancements, read the press release.

3. The United Nations’ Race to Zero Campaign

In September 2021, we announced our commitment to the Race to Zero Campaign by pledging to reduce our Scope 1 and 2 global greenhouse gas emissions by 46% by 2030 (from a 2019 baseline), and to be carbon neutral across all direct operations by 2040.5

In the EMEA region, we have already begun making considerable shifts in our production and distribution operations to achieve this goal:

  • Building energy resilience: Our Drogheda, Fraga, Cuautitlan and Heidelberg manufacturing sites have adopted a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) energy-efficient technology. We continue to investigate other sustainability energy solutions including CHP, solar Photovoltaic Technology (PV), solar hot water and fuel cells.6
  • Responsible supply chain: The BD PosiFlush™ Prefilled Syringes are manufactured at our ISO 14000-certified plant in Fraga, Spain for the EMEA region, one of the largest automated warehouses for medical supplies in Europe.7

To learn more about the Race to Zero Campaign and our commitment, read the press release. 

 

References

  1. Becton, Dickinson and Company. 2020+ ESG Commitments and Goals. Accessed on June 14, 2022 at: https://news.bd.com/download/BD+2030%2B+Goals.pdf.  
  2. Patrício Silva AL, Prata JC, Walker TR, et al. Rethinking and optimising plastic waste management under COVID-19 pandemic: Policy solutions based on redesign and reduction of single-use plastics and personal protective equipment. Sci Total Environ. 2020;742:140565. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140565 
  3. Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council. Inspiring and Enabling Plastic Recycling Solutions in Healthcare. Published in 2022. Accessed on June 17, 2022 at: https://www.hprc.org/ 
  4. Becton, Dickinson and Company. BD Forms Sustainable Medical Technology Institute to Reduce the Environmental Impact of its Product Portfolio. Published on April 22, 2022. Accessed on June 14, 2022 at: https://news.bd.com/2022-04-22-BD-Forms-Sustainable-Medical-Technology-Institute-to-Reduce-the-Environmental-Impact-of-its-Product-Portfolio.  
  5. Becton, Dickinson and Company. BD Joins the Race to Zero: Largest Alliance Dedicated to Achieving Net Zero Emissions by 2050. Published on September 22, 2021. Accessed on June 14, 2022 at: https://news.bd.com/2021-09-22-BD-Joins-the-Race-to-Zero-Largest-Alliance-Dedicated-to-Achieving-Net-Zero-Emissions-by-2050#:~:text=BD%20Joins%20the%20Race%20to,by%202050%20%2D%20Sep%2022%2C%202021. 
  6. Becton, Dickinson and Company. Sustainability statement—Medication Delivery Solutions, EMEA Region. Eysins, Switzerland; 2022.  
  7. Europa Press. La empresa Becton, Dickinson and Company, de Fraga, logra el Premio Empresa Huesca 2011. 20 minutos. 24 March 2011. Accessed on 18 July, 2022 at https:// www.20minutos.es/noticia/999692/0/ 

 

BD, the BD logo, and PosiFlush™ are trademarks of Becton, Dickinson and Company or its affiliates. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. ©2022 BD. All rights reserved. BD-66589 

BD PosiFlush™ is a medical device bearing a CE mark. 

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