CSL has named Jeffrey Ball as its first Chief Sustainability Officer, advancing the global biotech company’s efforts to improve its performance on the material topics identified in the Environmental, Social and Sustainable Workforce pillars outlined in its Sustainability Strategy.
Ball, who joined CSL in 2019 and heads CSL’s global environmental, health and safety and network strategy, has played an important role in advancing CSL’s sustainability journey since early 2022. He led enterprise-wide sustainability efforts, helped create and launch CSL’s Sustainability Strategy and began its execution. In August of last year, CSL announced 2030 carbon targets, including a plan to reduce emissions associated with its own operations by 40%.
As Chief Sustainability Officer, Ball will oversee the expansion and operationalization of key targets and initiatives, in line with CSL’s 2030 strategy.
“Sustainability is key to CSL delivering long-term shared-value creation,” said Paul McKenzie, CEO and Managing Director of CSL. “As a science-based organization, we understand the importance of data-driven decision making and continual evaluation and improvement of our processes and products, and we are applying the same focus to sustainability.”
McKenzie said Ball has ample experience in biopharma/biotech and recognizes the value of aligning CSL’s Sustainability Strategy and its 2030 Strategy. He’ll lead the careful consideration of CSL’s impacts, challenges and opportunities – and take meaningful action to realize the company’s vision of a sustainable future for all stakeholders, McKenzie said. As part of that task, Ball will advance Environment, Social and Sustainable Workforce strategies.
CSL includes business units CSL Behring, which makes medicines for people who have rare and serious diseases; CSL Seqirus, which develops and manufactures vaccines; and CSL Vifor, a leader in iron deficiency and nephrology (kidney care). CSL also operates CSL Plasma, one of the largest collectors of donated human plasma used to make medicines for diseases such as hemophilia and primary immune deficiency.
"I am honored to serve as CSL’s first Chief Sustainability Officer and to continue the work of embedding sustainability throughout the enterprise,” Ball said. “I am proud of the significant work the CSL team has already done and look forward to the opportunity to advance these important efforts. Guided by CSL's values and our purpose for a sustainable future for people and planet, we are taking the critical next steps on our sustainability journey.”
CSL’s Sustainability Strategy, announced in August 2021, seeks to advance the company’s commitment to a heathier world. It focuses on Environment, Social and Sustainable Workforce, with strong governance underpinning all pillars. On the Environment pillar, CSL is focusing on integrating sustainability into business decisions, reducing carbon emissions, minimizing end-to-end production of waste through removal, reduction and recycling.
The company is also supporting similar efforts throughout its supply chain. In June 2023, CSL committed to seeking validation of its near-term company-wide emissions reduction in line with climate science with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
