To accelerate the decarbonization of our activities and support our "People & Planet" CSR strategy, our industrial and procurement teams are changing gear. In addition to more responsible sourcing of energy, transportation and raw materials, other impactful levers are being activated.

"Guerbet has decided to promote its social and environmental values to its suppliers and to ask them to do the same with their own business partners. Guerbet only wants to work with suppliers who respect human rights, labor law, the environment and business ethics."

Extract from Guerbet's Universal Registration Document 2023

 

A solar farm was inaugurated at the beginning of the year at our Dublin plant.

We raise our standards

What do you think are the most common reasons people give for not taking action on climate change?  According to the results of a recent opinion poll, it could be as much a question of persistent climate denial, excessive individualism, fatalism or even blind optimism about our ability to find solutions! Above all, 55% of those polled are unwilling to make a commitment until those "primarily responsible" do their bit!

Faced with the climate emergency and the threat to biodiversity, we all have a role to play. Companies have the benefit of being able to influence each other within their shared ecosystem.

As a result, Guerbet must not only comply with new regulations (such as CSRD and CS3D*), but also integrate the CSR expectations of its stakeholders: calls for tender from our customers, demands from our bankers, investors and shareholders, or even demands from employees and future talent who are increasingly sensitive to ethical and responsible governance!

For our part, we are raising the standards of our suppliers around the world, and creating a virtuous long-term knock-on effect.  

Concrete progress

  • Decarbonization obviously involves reducing our own emissions, but also those of all our suppliers (50% of our emissions come from our purchases). And the challenge, particularly in countries where the level of maturity is less high, is to act with diplomacy and firmness to get the lines moving. We sometimes have very pleasant surprises with partners who have already initiated real progress (new investments, renewable energies, etc.). This is part of a carbon accounting system that is being set up at Guerbet and will be refined over time.

 

  • Resource conservation. With regard to manufacturing processes, the identification of responsible sources and new synthesis routes is key to progress in this area. In the shorter term, we select our partners by taking into account their environmental impact. This is notably the case for our iodine sourcing: we give preference to Japan (a process that requires less water and has a limited carbon footprint), and we encourage Chilean suppliers who have chosen to use seawater. Generally speaking, whenever technically feasible, we ensure that our suppliers find greener solutions.

 

  • In terms of manufacturing processes, we pay close attention to innovations that limit and optimize environmental impact. One of our as-yet undisclosed projects is set to make a real breakthrough, both in terms of sustainability and cost (more information to come!). Finally, the packaging team has enabled us to make good progress with our suppliers by using more eco-responsible packaging.

And we're onboarding everyone with us!

By the end of 2024, we aim to ensure that CSR criteria (ethical and social practices, environment, decarbonization, etc.) account for 20% of our supplier selection process (compared with 10% today). To achieve this, we need to work closely with everyone involved in our purchasing process. This involves both regular updates with our major suppliers on the subject, and training and cross-functional work with all employees and entities who can contribute to more responsible purchasing: category buyers, CSR-EHS, Technical Operations, industrial site managers, technical experts, etc.  

We have therefore made responsible purchasing training for our buyers and their interfaces in the various countries a top priority. We have also drawn up a list of priority suppliers at all plants and in all categories, to be included in this approach. To this end, a communication kit and an evaluation grid have been shared, and reviews have begun.

This echoes the ethical criteria set out in our Supplier Charter, which reflects and complements the spirit of the United Nations Global Compact, on respect for human rights, intellectual property, the fight against corruption, forced or child labor, etc. This is a Guerbet imperative, whatever the country.

This approach enables us to inform our suppliers of our requirements, and to encourage them to make similar commitments themselves. We are pleasantly surprised to note that, well beyond the major and mature suppliers, the vast majority of our suppliers in all countries welcome this approach and are keen to highlight their achievements and projects!

 

Two acronyms to know

CSRD (Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure) sets new standards and reporting obligations for social, environmental, societal and governance information.

CS3D : Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive