BD Launches New 'Together We Advance' Environmental, Social, Governance Strategy;

Publish date: Oct 18, 2023

FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J., Oct. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX), a leading global medical technology company, today announced a new strategy to advance environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives, as well as a suite of goals for 2030 and beyond that focus on enhancing stewardship of the company, the planet, community and human health.

'Together We Advance' ESG Strategy
BD's ESG strategy, Together We Advance, serves as a framework through which the company addresses the most relevant ESG issues for itself and its stakeholders. The new approach builds on BD's core Purpose – advancing the world of health – and focuses on making meaningful impacts across four key pillars:

• Company Health: Building a strong business foundation through good governance and transparent reporting.
• Planet Health: Implementing sustainable solutions to reduce the company's environmental footprint.
• Community Health: Collaborating with communities and investing company resources to do what is right.
• Human Health: Empowering employees to innovate new products and solutions to deliver what's next in health care.

"We are implementing a new ESG strategy that builds on our commitment to improve and advance individual and public health at a global scale," said Tom Polen, chairman, CEO and president, BD. "We know that the health of our company, our planet, our communities and the people we serve are directly connected, and when we successfully address the health of one, we often solve for challenges in another. Together We Advance embraces these interconnections, with the ultimate goal of driving positive collective outcomes and a healthy, resilient world for all."

2030+ Impact Areas and Goals
Under BD's Together We Advance strategy, the company has made commitments in five areas that are most important to its stakeholders and where the company has identified opportunities to create meaningful, measurable change across the pillars of health over the next decade — Climate Change, Product Impacts, Responsible Supply Chain, Healthy Workforce and Communities, and Transparency. These five areas connect across and advance the four pillars of the ESG strategy, each impacting the health of the company, planet, communities and people. The company established a set of goals in each area to achieve by 2030 (and beyond) to measure its success in driving positive health outcomes across its ESG strategy and continue its commitment to help achieve UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

"We developed our 2030 ESG goals by challenging ourselves to think about where we can make the greatest impact on our industry, society and planet today," Polen added. "We are prioritizing climate change through reducing emissions and integrating climate impact considerations into our business strategy, while also addressing the impact of our products and resiliency of the supply chain. We are acting immediately on these commitments. For example, we recently signed onto the United Nations Race to Zero campaign, where BD now joins the largest alliance dedicated to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 or sooner. We will also continue to demonstrate how an ethical, sustainable and inclusive company can drive growth while supporting our global communities for generations to come."

The 2030+ goals include:

• Climate Change: Reducing Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 46% by 2030 (from a 2019 baseline) and achieving carbon neutrality across direct operations by 2040. The company also committed to set targets to reduce Scope 3 emissions.
• Product Impacts: Reducing the environmental impact of the company's product portfolio by addressing plastic and packaging material consumption and the impact of plastics throughout its value chain through considerations in product design; and reducing Scope 3 emissions from use and disposal of products in line with 1.5˚C emissions scenarios.
• Responsible Supply Chain: Working with supply chain partners to quantify and reduce Scope 3 emissions in line with 1.5˚C emissions scenarios, in addition to strengthening engagement with supply chain partners on their labor and environmental practices and performance.
• Healthy Workforce and Communities: Empowering employees to manage their physical, mental and financial health and committing to improving ethnic and gender diversity by 1% year over year at the management and executive levels.
• Transparency: Reporting clear information around performance and progress toward the company's ESG goals through its annual sustainability report. BD will do this in alignment with recognized external ESG reporting frameworks, including the Task Force for Climate Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB).

For more information about the company's ESG strategy and 2030+ goals, visit news.bd.com/esg.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Many of these risks and uncertainties are beyond the company's control, including without limitation, challenges relating to economic, competitive, governmental, and technological factors affecting our operations, markets, and products, and other factors listed in our 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings with the SEC. BD expressly disclaims any undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements set forth herein to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof, except as required by applicable law or regulation.