Sustainability Consulting

AstraZeneca, a leading global biopharmaceutical company, faced significant challenges with its scope 3 emissions, which account for over 95% of its total corporate emissions. Recognizing that its scope 3 footprint is 20 times greater than its combined scope 1 and 2 emissions, AstraZeneca launched the Ambition Zero Carbon program in 2020. The program aims to reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 emissions by 98% by 2026 from a 2015 baseline. By 2021, AstraZeneca had already achieved a 59% reduction in these emissions and now sources 100% of its imported electricity from renewable sources.

To address the daunting task of reducing scope 3 emissions, AstraZeneca set a target to cut these emissions by 50% by 2030 from a 2019 baseline, with a long-term goal of achieving a 90% reduction by 2045. The company plans to become carbon negative across all emissions sources by 2030 through investments in nature-based solutions that will remove more carbon than its residual footprint annually. Key strategies include ensuring that 95% of spending with key suppliers is directed towards companies with approved science-based targets by 2025 and developing pressurized metered-dose inhalers (pMDIs) using the propellant HFO-1234ze, which has up to 99.9% less Global Warming Potential than traditional propellants used in respiratory medicines.

AstraZeneca's validated net-zero target against the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) Net-Zero Standard provides a credible framework for its sustainability efforts, emphasizing the need for more companies to align with such standards to ensure a habitable planet for future generations.