Responsibility and resiliency for a fairer, healthier Europe

This week Teva released it’s 2020 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report and I’m proud of the achievements on all fronts, especially as this year marks Teva’s 120th year, a milestone for reflection on the many patients we have served over time.

ESG highlights of 2020

Starting with our responsibility towards our employees and our company, colleagues around the world have shown (and continue to show) great resilience during this time. Throughout 2020 we did our utmost to ensure employees felt safe thanks to strict guidelines and procedures to protect them, including personal protective equipment, hygiene and social distancing. We also wanted them to feel proud for continuing to support the production of medicines that millions of patients need every day. Together we achieved a lot, a true representation of our “OneTeva” spirit, across teams, functions and around the world.

Recent events brought social justice issues to the forefront, highlighting the importance of embracing inclusion, diversity and equality in all aspects of our business. As such, I&D remains a focus point with our framework, governed by our I&D task force, providing a foundation for embedding I&D across our business.

External ESG commitments

One of the many ways we demonstrated our commitment to ESG in 2020 was by donating $571M worth of medicines (317M units) to patients in need, more than twice the amount we gave in 2019. We also secured and scaled production of active pharmaceutical ingredients, providing 17.8 million units of medicines for clinical studies to 26 governments and hospitals around the world.

Supporting patients and healthcare professionals during the pandemic is only one aspect of ESG. We mustn’t forget that issues of sustainability remain high on the agenda – as demonstrated by the US recently rejoining the Paris agreement, and the EU committing to cutting carbon emissions by at least 55% by 2030. Even though the first lockdown may have helped the environment, signs point to any positive effects being cancelled out by a rebound.

Much as any other company operating on such a large scale, we have a responsibility when it comes to operating in a sustainable way. As such our renewed ESG strategy guides how we minimize the impact of our operations and products on the planet. Our bold 2030 environmental sustainability commitments include:

• Reducing Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 33% (vs. 2017)
• Increasing energy efficiency by 10% and total proportion of energy from renewable sources to 50%
• Reducing water withdrawal by 10% in projected water-stress areas
• Reducing overall mass of secondary and tertiary packaging materials per unit dose and increase proportion of recycled and responsibly-sourced materials by 10%

For Teva, ESG means advancing health & equity through our medicines and across our business, minimizing the impact of our operations and dedicating ourselves to quality, ethics and transparency. Our new ESG report details our efforts and helps us to respond to the complex global challenges of the pandemic and its lasting impact. This will remain core to our business, critical to our long-term sustainability and resilience.  

 Teva’s presence in Europe

In addition to our global footprint, we’re part of the fabric of Europe and as such we strive for a healthier, fairer and more prosperous Europe, creating quality jobs and economic value, while minimizing our impact on the planet. For instance, we have invested more than €700M in a state-of-the-art biologics facility in Ulm, Germany, as part of our commitment to greater manufacturing resilience in the continent.

This is particularly important now, as we continue to see the effects of the pandemic on society. Our mission continues to be contributing to the communities we serve, respecting our surroundings and helping healthcare professionals deliver care to millions of patients while saving the systems billions of euros every year through cost-effective essential medicines.

We ensure patients get the medicines they need even though the pandemic makes it harder for them to see clinicians. Our ESG mindset helps us to do so while running our business responsibly and sustainably.

Resilience in 2021 and beyond

Resilience will be key for all of us as we navigate this year and beyond. Although we may be returning to some sort of “normality”, we will still have to modify our previous behaviours, adapting to post-lockdown’s new ways of living and working. Access to healthcare will also remain front and centre of the conversation.

During the COVID19 emergency, health services were totally and indeed heroically focused on stemming the epidemic, however simultaneously revealing the pre-existing limits of the system. “Ordinary” patients have struggled with practical issues of postponing or forgoing a wide variety of services, ranging from emergency treatment of acute conditions to routine check-ups and recommended cancer screenings, creating a sense of abandonment and uncertainty. For instance patients with cancer or other chronic diseases were left behind, which will have an impact on public health.

With this in mind, we recently supported the European Cancer Patient Coalition (ECPC) in their joint letter to address issues in cancer care, and we are supporting the Active Citizenship Network’s (ACN) manifesto to support European patients. These are just a few of the actions we’re taking regionally, while many countries are doing their part to support national initiatives too.

It is our responsibility not just as a company but individually, to ensure we continue to support healthcare systems and enable patients’ access to treatment and medicine when needed. This is what we do year on year at Teva through our ESG strategy. 

The responsibility isn’t just ours or limited to the pharmaceutical industry, it’s upon all of us collectively. Given the wide reaching impact COVID19 has had on healthcare systems as a whole, we call upon governments to focus on health beyond COVID19. Much as there is talk of re-starting the economy and opening borders, we need to find ways to support the thousands - if not millions - of patients, who have not been able to access the healthcare they need for one reason or another. Not to mention, the long lasting effects we will also see on people’s mental health. Health is more than being COVID free.