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Responsible Sourcing

Responsible Sourcing is our shared commitment to integrating Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) standards into daily business. By embracing this together with our business partners, we can build more resilient supply chains, reduce environmental impact, and create positive outcomes for patients and communities.

We prioritise three key areas:

Environment

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  • Water usage
  • Circularity
  • Renewable energy

Social

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  • Human rights
  • Health and safety
  • Diversity, equity, and inclusion

Governance

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  • Ethics
  • Public policy and regulations
  • Anti-bribery and anti-corruption

Principles

  • Value beyond savings
  • Supplier's ESG data transparency
  • Supplier development and collaboration mindset
  • Leverage industry ecosystem to drive change
Responsible Sourcing is fundamental to how we create long-term value – it strengthens our supply chain, supports our sustainability goals, and drives resilience through trusted partnerships
Sandra Matamoros Global Program Lead Responsible Sourcing

Supplier engagement

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We work closely with suppliers to improve sustainability across our supply chain. This means sourcing responsibly, engaging suppliers to have science-based targets, and assessing ESG performance related to climate-change actions. This is connected to the Scope 3 emissions.

Our ambition

74%

of Scope 3 emissions in the categories Purchased goods and services and Upstream transportation and distribution covered by suppliers that will have validated science-based targets in place by 2028.

Understanding and managing supplier ESG risk​

We apply a structured ESG risk management approach to identify and address potential risks in our supply chain. Suppliers operating in higher-risk industries or countries are classified as ESG –sensitive and subject to enhanced assessment and follow-up.

Our progress

>75%

of ESG-sensitive suppliers had undergone and ESG risk assessment by the end of 2025

Our Responsible Sourcing Toolkit for Business Partners

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Advancing ESG together with our business partners

We invite our business partners to explore our Responsible Sourcing Toolkit for Business Partners, which outlines our expectations, processes, and tools to support suppliers in aligning with our ESG standards.

Hear from Elke Geysen, Head of Global Procurement & External Supply, as she introduces the toolkit and explains how it supports our shared sustainability journey.

Supporting downloads:

  • This document forms the basis for all relationships within our supply chain and aims to boost transparency, collaboration and progress for Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) topics.
  • We are committed to ethical business practices and only work with business partners who uphold the same high standards.
  • Ethics Helpline (pdf, 2 MB)
    We encourage everyone to report any concerns or suspicions regarding potential misconduct via our confidential 24/7 Ethics Helpline, which is accessible to both employees and external third parties across our supply chain.
  • In addition, according to the EU Whistleblower Directive, countries defined designated authorities that serve as external whistleblower channels.
  • This statement outlines our commitment to creating a safe and respectful workplace for our people, while minimising risks to the environment.

Our pledge to the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Initiative

We are a member of the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Initiative (PSCI), which sets up Principles for Responsible Supply Chain Management in the pharmaceutical industry concerning ethics, labour, health & safety, environment, and management systems.

Our pledge to the PSCI involves:

  • Aligning our operations with the PSCI Principles, covering labour rights, health and safety, environmental protection, and business integrity.
  • Actively participating in PSCI working groups to share experiences and learn from other members.
  • Providing transparent information about our supply chain practices.
  • Pursuing continuous improvement to enhance our supply chain practices.

Our suppliers might be requested to participate in an ESG audit following the PSCI principles. The supplier will be asked to share certain information with other pharmaceutical companies and participate in supplier capability programs through PSCI. Our suppliers will have access to a wealth of learning and development resources to support them on their ESG journey.

Find more information about the PSCI here.

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