Roche showcases its commitment to sustainability with new partnership

Pharma News: The Labor government committed $3.4 million in its 2022-23 Federal Budget to fund Australia’s first National Health and Climate Strategy and a National Health Sustainability and Climate Unit to better prepare the health system for the challenges of climate change. The unit will also be tasked with leading national efforts to reduce emissions in the health sector, which contributes approximately 7% to Australia’s emissions.

In contributing to sustainability, Roche Australia has announced its new partnership with Seabin, an Australian clean-tech start-up dedicated to creating a cleaner and more sustainable future for our oceans. This collaboration is in-line with the company’s commitment to make a positive impact on the environment by supporting innovative partnerships.

In fact last year, Roche was ranked globally as one of the top three most sustainable healthcare companies by Dow Jones Sustainability Index and also ranked 10th out of the top 20 biggest pharmaceutical companies for the 2022 Access to Medicine Index.

Stuart Knight, General Manager of Roche Australia, said “We are excited to partner with Seabin to help protect our oceans and marine life from the impacts of plastic pollution. At Roche, we are committed to creating innovative partnerships that align to our sustainability goals and reduce our environmental impact. This partnership is an important part of that commitment.”

Pete Ceglinski, CEO and Co-founder of Seabin, said “It’s exciting to see cross-sector partnerships like this form with the common goal of nature and sustainability. We are delighted to welcome Roche onboard as a new sponsor for our Seabin Smart City Program; Sydney. This partnership will significantly amplify the positive impact we can have on our oceans, through clean up, data and education. Its hugely encouraging to see a multi-national such as Roche, championing People and Planet through their sustainability programs and initiatives. Thank you Roche Australia for supporting our mission for cleaner oceans and smarter cities.”

Seabin was initially created as a skimmer system to collect and remove waste from water bodies, but it has since developed into a data-led program that includes research, analysis, technology, education, and policy development, with a global presence. Seabin’s innovative yet simple hardware technology removes microplastics and other marine litter from waterways, which is then recorded into Seabin’s Ocean Health Platform for in-depth data analysis and ongoing ocean health monitoring. These critical data sets help support the positive policy making and behavioural change required to turn off the tap to plastic pollution.

Emerging leaders tackling sustainability in hospitals despite lack of collective action

As part of this new partnership, Roche Australia will be sponsoring the installation and operations of a new Seabin in Sydney Harbour, significantly increasing the collective positive impact of Seabin’s Smart City Program: Sydney. This technology, which is designed to collect and remove litter from the ocean and filter-out microplastics will help to significantly reduce the amount of plastic pollution in our waterways and protect marine life. Currently, 1,101 soft plastics are captured by Seabins in Sydney Harbour everyday.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) are cracking down on greenwashing. ASIC has already issued enforcement notices about misleading and deceptive disclosures, while the ACCC is targeting false environmental claims by companies. So for boards, executives and leaders, it is more important than ever to ensure their organisations’ claims and reporting about ESG can be substantiated and, importantly, stand up to scrutiny from well-informed stakeholders. 

Roche said the company is committed to reducing its environmental impact by half between 2019 and 2029. Its environmental sustainability strategy focuses on reducing the carbon emissions generated through our local operations; reducing water usage, waste and plastics; increasing recycling; switching to clean energy at all our premises; and working to reduce the environmental impact of its pharmaceuticals throughout their lifecycle.

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