There's a perception that everything that comes from nature is better for the environment. While in many cases that can be true, sourcing from nature comes with its own risks and challenges, including deforestation, increased land and water use, and human rights concerns.
However, by understanding your entire value chain and implementing sustainable practices at the source, you can ensure you’re protecting the wellbeing of workers, local communities, and the environment.
Bailey Risteen is Pharma Solutions Global Sustainability Manager at BASF. She notes that there’s been a move towards companies defining responsible sourcing as its own pillar within their sustainability groups and teams, along with a heightened discussion around where materials come from.
“As every company is trying to address their own environmental impact, we’re realizing how much of that impact is outside our direct control,” Risteen says. “Typically, for a pharma company, 80-95% of their CO2 is coming from their Scope 3 emissions, which are indirect upstream or downstream emissions. If you’re a company looking at your data, you’ve committed to environmental targets, and you see a lot of it is out of your hands, it means you need to have greater scrutiny on the partners you’re working with.”
As a company engaged with several global initiatives and industry groups, BASF is committed to empowering insight across the entire value chain.
