Environmental stewardship

We have set a goal to have a net positive impact on nature by 2030. Measuring and accounting for how companies impact the natural world is an emerging field. We are collaborating with partners to understand how best to measure our nature impacts and meet industry standards, for example working with the World Business Council of Sustainable Development to contribute to the Science Based Targets Network for nature.

We will align to the Science Based Targets Network approach to measure our impact on nature and will seek to accredit our target when the methodology is finalised.

We have set the following goals for our biopharma and consumer healthcare business in relation to sustainable sourcing and biodiversity:

As thinking and standardisation matures in this field, we are open to the possibility of setting new targets to ensure we meet our goal of being net positive on nature by 2030.

Deforestation is a major contributor to climate change. We continue to take steps to ensure that raw materials, such as wood-based packaging materials and palm oil, are sourced responsibly.

Sustainable and deforestation-free sourcing

We are committed to deforestation-free sourcing, as defined by the Accountability Framework (AFi), for all key commodities purchased by GSK or indirectly on our behalf. The complexity of our operations and our supply chain makes this an ambitious undertaking requiring a phased approach.

We have identified priority materials that are of strategic importance to our business, and that also have an impact on deforestation. These include paper packaging, palm oil derivatives, soy and cattle derived products.

To date, we have focused on developing sourcing standards for paper packaging based on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) requirements and palm oil derivatives based on principles set by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). We have implemented responsible sourcing programs for these commodities in conjunction with the Rainforest Alliance. We are members of Action for Sustainable Derivatives (ASD) which works to increase the transparency and traceability of palm oil derivatives in supply chains.

We are committed to working with others to improve our approach to sustainable sourcing across all materials, including finding deforestation-free solutions, and will collaborate with other stakeholders in the supply chain, government, and civil society, as well as contributing to industry activities that focus on improving sustainable sourcing for the healthcare industry.

Biodiversity at GSK sites

Our Biopharma business has committed to positive biodiversity at GSK-owned sites by 2030, with all sites to have biodiversity action plans in place by 2025 and investment in programmes that improve habitats, protect species and improve soil or water quality. Specific site-based actions might include tree planting, adding bird boxes on site and pond maintenance.

Nature-based solutions

We will also invest in the protection and restoration of land-use across our operations and supply chain, in a way which also contributes to carbon removal and water basin restoration – and so helps us to achieve our climate and water targets.

Reference

[1] Target updated in November 2021 to reflect focus materials

[2] GSK-owned sites