When CSL Chief Financial Officer Joy Linton started her career in finance, carbon emissions were a foreign concept. Today they are an important part of her role.
“Responsible management and efficient use of natural resources is key to CSL’s sustainable growth, which is essential to meeting our promises to both patients and the planet,” said Linton, who joined CSL as CFO in March 2021.
She also chairs CSL’s Sustainability Executive Committee, which plays a key role in ensuring a sustainable future for employees, patients, plasma donors and the communities where they live and work.
CSL, a leading global biotech, specializes in medicines for people who have rare and serious diseases and in the development and manufacture of influenza vaccines. This week, as the company presented its Financial Year 2022 earnings, CSL also announced by 2030 it will:
- Seek to reduce emissions associated with its own operations by 40 percent
- Intends to ensure suppliers who contribute 67 percent of Scope 3 emissions have set Scope 1 & 2 reduction targets, aligned with the Science-Based Targets initiative.
“As an organization driven by its promise to people and patients, CSL wants to help create a sustainable world for future generations,” Linton said. “Our sustainability strategy is focused on this goal, and our recent emissions reduction targets are a further evolution of our commitment.”
Specifically, Linton said CSL seeks to cut 40 percent of Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions against a baseline of the average annual emissions during the fiscal years 2019 through 2021.
CSL’s goals align to the standard emissions categories: Scope 1 means emissions directly produced by the company and its facilities, such as at manufacturing sites. Scope 2 includes indirect emissions created during the production of energy purchased and used by the company.
Scope 3 emissions include all remaining indirect emissions that occur throughout the company’s value chain. Regarding Scope 3, CSL will ensure that suppliers who contribute 67 percent of its Scope 3 emissions have set emission reduction targets to address their Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions aligned to SBTi, Linton said.
In addition to cutting carbon emissions, CSL plans to reduce waste in the supply chain and end-to-end production. CSL’s sustainability strategy also includes a social pillar focused on strengthening commitments to donors, patients and communities, as well as engaging CSL’s workforce in sustainable practices, Linton said.
“I am proud to serve at a values-based organization that has remained true to its purpose of saving lives and protecting the health of people around the world. Creating sustainable value for all our stakeholders is central to this, and we look forward to making progress towards these new targets,” she said.
