By becoming carbon neutral by 2030 in our own operations and strengthening our own circular economy
The climate crisis is one of the greatest
environmental challenges and one of the greatest health threats – of the 21st
century. In the COP21 Paris Agreement, national
governments pledged to limit global warming to well below two degrees Celsius
and continue efforts to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. We support this
global challenge, pursuing measures of our own and following a long-term
strategy as a responsible company. Heeding the urgent call of science for a
decarbonized global economy, we aim to be carbon neutral of our own emissions
by 2030.
Striving toward a circular economy
In view of the sharply rising demand for raw
materials around the world, exacerbated by a scarcity of natural resources, we
believe that the take-make-dispose model is no longer appropriate. We strive
toward a circular economy as a way of proactively preparing for the imminent
challenges, such as material shortages, and harness cost benefits by increasing
the proportion of reused, repaired and refurbished components. Our Product Eco
Excellence program optimizes the environmental performance of our products over all
life cycle phases with a focus on energy efficiency, keeping the use of
hazardous substances to an absolute minimum, and extending the useful life of
products and components. In the past decade, Siemens Healthineers has actively
supported the voluntary self-regulatory initiative (SRI) on EcoDesign led by
the European industry association COCIR with the goal of reducing the environmental impact of medical imaging devices. With some MRI products we were able to achieve a reduced daily energy consumption of up to 30%.
Mitigate our environmental impact
Our "Serve the Environment" program aims to
mitigate the environmental impact of our business activities at our various
sites. We continuously pursue energy efficiency efforts with a view to reducing
our carbon footprint and non-recyclable waste as well as minimizing the use of
ozone-depleting substances. We are convinced that our efforts toward
decarbonization and resource conservation in the context of our climate action
and the transition toward a circular economy programs are a sustainable
response to societal expectations, a promise to future generations, a lever to
increase our customers’ competitiveness, and a crucial component in our own
resilience and future viability.
Combat climate change by reducing emissions
We apply a holistic approach to decarbonization: Running our global operations,
sourcing materials and services, operating vehicle fleets, and transporting and
operating our products all have an environmental and climate-related impact. We
must therefore significantly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions within our
control, while also substantially influencing the emissions caused by our
suppliers and customers, as well as those arising from business travel.
Reduce our carbon footprint
To
highlight this priority, we have implemented measures to significantly reduce
our carbon footprint: Our environmental portfolio currently comprises 36
energy-efficient products designed to help customers reduce their environmental
footprint and lifecycle costs and improve their environmental performance. Meanwhile, we have prioritized the procurement of renewable energy, introduced
a new fleet policy to encourage the transition to eMobility and lower-emission
cars, avoided business travel in favor of digital collaboration formats, and
launched a "Supplier Carbon Assessment and Reduction" program in our supply
chain.
We
aim to achieve carbon neutrality in our own operations by 2030, and are in the
process of setting ourselves long-term targets in line with the Paris Agreement
to bring about substantial reductions in the carbon emissions associated with
upstream activities in our supply chain, our direct operations, and the use of
our products by customers. In
this way, we are contributing to UN SDG 9 “Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure”,
and UN SDG 13 “Climate Action”.
Transition toward a circular economy
Supporting the transition to a circular economy
is a crucial aspect of our sustainability approach, and an essential step
toward creating a regenerative and healthy environment. To think and act in a
way that benefits the circular economy is to proactively prepare for the
impending global challenges such as resource and material shortages. Our understanding of a circular economy is based
on the following principles: reusing resources, material and products,
maintaining and upgrading our installed products with a view to safety and
reliability, eliminating waste, and recycling responsibly. These principles are
implemented in our products, services, and processes.
Refurbishing medical
imaging
A key element of our commitment to the circular
economy is refurbishing medical imaging to create the ecoline product
portfolio, which maximizes the use of our products and components while
conserving resources and raw materials within their functional and economic
lifecycle. By continuously leveraging circular practices
and business models at Siemens Healthineers, we are contributing to UN SDG 12
“Responsible Consumption and Production” and UN SDG 8 “Decent Work and Economic
Growth”.