Turning climate ambitions into action
As a healthcare company, we bear great responsibility for addressing climate change. Every business operation can impact our environmental footprint. As such, reduction must be a global effort — not just across our organization, but with our suppliers and partners, too. Our global, long-term approach focuses on: • Decarbonizing our activities • Protecting natural resources • Preserving biodiversity.
Loïc Allanos,Director of Corporate Social Responsibility
“ Septodont has made environmental protection a strategic priority. Our goals of decarbonizing our activities, preserving our natural resources and protecting biodiversity influence all of our activities and must be addressed across our entire value chain. We need everyone pulling together to meet these ecological challenges ”
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Low carbon strategy
Decarbonizing our activities
Mindful of the global need to rapidly decrease GHG emissions to limit global warming in line with the Paris Agreement, Septodont has pledged to reduce its Scope 1 and 2* carbon emissions by 50% by 2032, from a 2022 base year.
Septodont has also committed to set a near-term company-wide emission reduction target in line with climate science with the Science Based Targets initiative, which will include a complementary reduction target on Scope 3**, currently under development.
Septodont has joined the French Public Investment Bank (BPI)'s decarbonization program and is applying the Accelerate Climate Transition Step-by-Step® (ACT-S) international methodology. ACT-S provides us with guidance and support to structure and implement an ambitious and robust decarbonization strategy at Group level.
Discover more about ACT
Measurement and accountability are key to achieving our ambitious climate goals and winning stakeholder buy-in. Since 2023, we have been using the Traace platform to assess our carbon footprint and track the progress of our initiatives.
Discover more about TraaceScope 1 & 2: Limiting the impact of our direct operations
In advance of our GHG emissions audit results, we have already begun monitoring and optimizing our energy consumption with initiatives like renewable energy sourcing, on-site generation and energy efficiency.
Buildings performance
We implement our building projects in alignment with strict, internationally respected standards like BREEAM and LEED. Our latest site expansion project in Cambridge (Canada) showcases high-performing building characteristics such as sustainable design, energy recovery systems and highly effective insulated walls, resulting in a 50% reduction in energy consumption compared to conventional buildings.
Energy sobriety
Several initiatives have already been implemented at our industrial sites, focusing on impactful actions like energy sobriety, boiler energy efficiency, heat recovery and LED lighting. Our main industrial sites are also undergoing in-depth analysis to identify further energy optimization and decarbonization opportunities as part of their medium-term roadmap.
Climate education
All of Septodont’s employees are invited to contribute to a successful business model that respects our natural environment. Through our Climate Academy, we make environmental protection a shared concern and provide them with the knowledge and tools they need to enact meaningful change.
Andrea WeidoSr Environmental Health & Safety Manager at Novocol Pharma
“ In October 2022, Septodont launched its first global Environmental Sustainability Challenge to identify ideas and initiatives to accelerate our environmental efforts. Our team introduced reusable plant-dedicated safety shoes, along with storage and travel bags, reducing our disposable shoe cover consumption by 55%. ”
Scope 3: Limiting our impact throughout our value chain
Scope 3 emissions represent nearly 90% of our total GHG emissions. In order to meet our ambitious low-carbon goals, it is therefore essential to integrate our decarbonization activities throughout the entire value chain.
As part of the ACT Step-by-Step® approach, we are developing business line ownership and tailor-made action plans to reduce key emissions drivers like raw material purchase, packaging, logistics, business travel and waste.
Low-carbon supply chain
Septodont has embarked on a journey to decarbonize our upstream and downstream transportation. By joining the FRET21 initiative through our French entity, we have identified order grouping, air transport flow limitation, and responsible carrier sourcing as key levers to reduce our supply chain impact. We plan to deploy a similar approach in our other subsidiaries.
Learn more about FRET21
Promoting sustainable transport
Our employees benefit from a number of sustainable transport initiatives. Current incentives include bicycle schemes, carpooling systems, and on-site electric vehicle charging.
Digital sustainability
Septodont's IT teams are gradually rolling out a digital decarbonization plan for the Group. Among other things, it includes integrating environmental criteria when purchasing hardware, extending device lifespan and promoting digital sobriety.
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Protecting natural resources
As a healthcare manufacturer, our industrial activity has an impact on natural resources. To minimize it, Septodont focuses on reducing water consumption and adopting an eco-design approach to optimize the use of raw materials.
Preserving water
Water is a crucial resource, both for the environment and for Septodont’s activities. By 2029, we have committed to an 18% reduction in the combined water consumption of our two main industrial sites, which currently represent almost 85% of our total water use. We are also taking great care to ensure compliance with local regulations on the water quality of discharges from our industrial sites.
A global eco-design approach
Because reducing product impact starts with design, we are reviewing our innovation process to integrate eco-design principles at every stage of the product life-cycle. As a first step, Septodont conducted a lifecycle analysis of its injectable products in 2023 to identify key levers of action at the product level.
FOCUS 3
Preserving biodiversity
Biodiversity is an essential component of our complex and fragile ecological balance, and is closely linked to other environmental issues. This is why Septodont has made it a priority to restore, preserve, and protect biodiversity, both in our local operations and throughout our value chain.
At a global level, we carried out a biodiversity diagnosis in 2024 and identified our main sources of biodiversity impacts and dependencies, in line with the ENCORE methodology. We have identified five strategic workstreams (products, sites, procurement, governance and influence) and are currently developing action plans to address them.
Protecting bees
A third of the world’s food production depends on bees, but the bee population is rapidly declining. With the help of a former Septodont employee who is now a beekeeper, we have installed 12 beehives on our Saint-Maur-des-Fossés and Croissy-Beaubourg sites to help bolster local bee numbers.
Preserving our forest
Global deforestation is both a cause and consequence of climate change. To help halt the decline of our forests, Septodont has signed a three-year agreement with France’s National Forests Office (ONF) to plant 15,000 trees per year, focusing on species that are best adapted to global warming.
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Further reading
Want to know more about our responsibility efforts? Our 2022 engagement report details our initiatives to date, highlighting the positive impact we can have on society and our environment with decisive, collaborative action.
