In Short: In 2024, leaders across the globe are increasingly prioritizing sustainability as they work towards securing a healthy future for the planet and its people. Here are some key priorities that leaders have identified in their pursuit of sustainability:
In Detail : More than two-thirds of CEOs globally (69%) have fully embedded environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations into their business, according to recent research by professional services firm KMPG. This is because they see ESG as a means to create value and make their brand more attractive to customers. Nevertheless, a similar percentage (68%) admitted that their current progress on ESG is not strong enough to withstand potential scrutiny from stakeholders or shareholders.
So, what is happening on ESG in the real world of business? Often businesses are criticized for setting ambitious sustainability targets in theory, but taking too little action in practice to hit those targets. With COP28 (the 28th United Nations Climate Change conference) fast approaching, I asked some well-known business leaders in the health sector to outline their sustainability priorities for 2024, with the aim of inspiring other organisations to take action on ESG that supports their positive words.
1. Help to build more sustainable cities
“There is growing evidence showing the effect of extreme weather events on our health – from chronic conditions and respiratory illnesses to the spread of disease and mental health problems,” says Nigel Sullivan, chief sustainability officer at healthcare provider Bupa. “As the climate crisis intensifies, city dwellers, who make up over half of the world’s population, are more likely to suffer from health issues.”
Sullivan argues that to address this simultaneous climate and health crisis, there is a need for cross-industry and cross-border collaboration “to create healthy, sustainable cities that benefit people and planet health”. That’s why Bupa has joined forces with the Norman Foster Foundation, which promotes interdisciplinary thinking and research, to help educate the next generation of architects on designing cities that can help keep people healthy. In particular, it will provide health expertise to the Norman Foster Institute for Sustainable Cities program and support new research on climate and health in cities.
The Norman Foster Institute for Sustainable Cities will be launched by the Norman Foster Foundation in 2024. The institute aims to offer a full-time, one-year course that combines the best of academia with practical experience on-site in selected cities. The core of the institute is a lab with state-of-the-art technology to create interactive digital twins of the cities.
“With a data-driven approach, scholars and city administrators can explore the social and carbon-reduction benefits of design interventions in advance of their adoption,” says Norman Foster, the renowned British architect who is president of the Norman Foster Foundation and founder of global architecture firm Foster and Partners. “These and other goals are in the quest for buildings and cities to be healthier for their users, as well as for the planet.”
2. Mitigate the impact of the healthcare sector on climate change
The healthcare sector is responsible for almost 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to research consultancy the Health Policy Partnership. In fact, if the sector were a country, it would be the fifth largest polluter on Earth.
For that reason, mitigating the health sector’s impact on climate change is critical, according to Pam Cheng, executive vice president (global operations and IT) and chief sustainability officer at AstraZeneca.
“As individual organizations, and as part of the healthcare ecosystem, we must lower the environmental footprint of care while improving health outcomes,” she says. “AstraZeneca is driving deep decarbonization across our value chain.”
The pharmaceutical giant is on track to reduce its scope 1 and 2 emissions by 98% by 2026 and halve scope 3 emissions by 2030. It is also convening the Sustainable Markets Initiative Health Systems Task Force – a public-private partnership that is accelerating the transition to net-zero health systems.
“With population, societal and planetary health all impacted by the climate crisis, we must all step up to make health systems more sustainable,” Cheng explains.
3. Influence change at scale
“As a health and hygiene company, we see first-hand the growing impacts that climate change is having on public health,” says Kris Licht, CEO of FTSE 100 consumer goods company Reckitt, “from complicating access to water and sanitation, to more vector-borne disease.” This increased healthcare burden, in turn, causes the healthcare sector to generate increased carbon dioxide emissions, meaning the cycle of sickness continues, with a disproportionate impact on women and girls.
“We want to help weaken this cycle by using our reach to influence change at scale,” Licht explains. “By bringing care closer to the community, through health literacy and access to self-care via pharmacies, we are encouraging people to take a more active role in promoting health and wellbeing, to improve health outcomes and reduce emissions.”
In 2024, Reckitt will bring its sustainability vision to life in several ways, including through its work with the Sustainable Markets Initiative, where it is leading a workstream aimed at redefining the traditional health ecosystem, to reach people before they become patients. “Reckitt touches 30 million consumers around the world each day,” says Licht. “Empowering them to take action to protect their health, and that of the planet, is our best bet at securing a healthy future.”