In 2015, BD created a strategy, goals and targets that would shape the company’s sustainability priorities through 2020. As we close out this year, the social and environmental issues facing society are even more urgent and important to our stakeholders than they were just five years ago. We now look toward the next phase of our work—through 2030—with a renewed sense of urgency and a mindset of building upon our past achievements to make even greater positive impact.

Our sustainability strategy is rooted in our values—we thrive on innovation and demand quality in our products and operations. We know that we are all accountable, and with that in mind, we have aligned our Sustainability work around four important areas of focus:

• Climate Change – Minimizing our contribution to global emissions and utilize our capabilities to address unmet health needs for climate vulnerable populations.  
   
• Product Impacts – Reducing the environmental impact of our portfolio and addressing the sustainability needs of our customers.
   
• Supply Chain Resilience – Creating a supply chain adaptable to disruption and able to contribute to strong environmental and social performance of our supply chain partners.
   
• Healthy Workforce – Maintaining a healthy and thriving workforce that cultivates our culture of inclusion, safety and wellbeing.  

Through our 2030 Sustainability goals, we are driven by our purpose, Advancing the World of Health, and are committed to making meaningful positive impacts for our associates, for our customers and stakeholders, and for the planet we inhabit. Just as we strive to ensure patients can live better lives, we also strive to be a better employer, a better neighbor in the communities in which we operate, and to address societal issues as a responsible corporate citizen. This includes our continued commitment to transparency in environmental, social and governance issues related to our business.

Today we’re announcing the first phase of our 2030 Sustainability Goals:  Climate Change Targets.

As we analyzed the various sustainability issues relevant to our business and society, we recognized the profound impact climate change will have on our operations, our supply chain and, most urgently, on human health. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned that global warming must not exceed 1.5°C to avoid the catastrophic impacts of climate change. Therefore, setting ambitious emission reduction targets based on science must be part of our overall strategy to manage and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

These targets are aimed at reducing our contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions from direct operations. We are committing to reduce Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 46% by 2030 (from a 2019 baseline) and to be carbon neutral across our direct operations by 2040. This science-based target is aligned with 1.5°C global emissions reduction pathway.

Climate change will continue to shape our Sustainability programs and our business for years to come, which is why we are announcing this important target first. We plan to announce additional commitments in line with our 2030 Sustainability vision in 2021. We remain committed to reporting on our performance and progress against these targets, annually.

For more information about our sustainability programs and to review the 2019 Sustainability report and 2019 Climate Change Management report, visit https://www.bd.com/en-us/company/sustainability-at-bd.