Demonstrated Progress and Impact on Environmental, Social and Governance, including Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Priorities
Published 02-08-24
Issued by Cencora
Cencora released its 2023 ESG Report and Reporting Index detailing information on its ESG performance and commitment to operations that benefit the planet and people more broadly.
Cencora (formerly AmerisourceBergen), a global healthcare company, released its 2023 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report. The report and the related ESG Reporting Index feature detailed information on Cencora’s ESG performance and its commitment to operations that benefit the planet and people more broadly. For the sixth year in a row, selected material topics and indicators contained in the report and index have been third-party verified by ERM Certification and Verification Services.
Cencora also released its 2023 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Progress Report, which outlines the company’s efforts to leverage benchmarks of availability for talent in the marketplace and enhance a culture of inclusion, bringing its teams under its new, united global brand, Cencora.
“Cencora’s approach to ESG is a direct reflection of our purpose and responsibility to create healthier futures,” said Gina Clark, EVP and Chief Communications & Administration Officer at Cencora. “Our critical role at the center of the global pharmaceutical value chain enables us to advance our key priorities supporting purpose-driven team members, resilient and sustainable operations, and healthy customers and communities. I’m proud of the impact we’ve had over the past year, but our work to achieve our ESG priorities, inclusive of our work in diversity, equity and inclusion, continues. Through partnership, innovation, and most importantly – purpose – these efforts will continue to be at the core of everything that we do.”
Cencora is continuously focused on operating as a responsible business and advancing ESG initiatives to create healthier futures around the world, starting with the health of people and the planet. Cencora fulfills its commitments to ESG by focusing its efforts on a defined strategy, shaped by several focus areas and external standards and frameworks the company voluntarily aligns with, including the Global Reporting Initiative, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the World Economic Forum Stakeholder Capitalism Metrics.
Cencora’s ESG strategy centers on three key priorities:
Purpose-Driven Team Members: Around the globe, Cencora puts people first by collaborating openly across the organization to foster a diverse, inclusive work environment and uphold the highest ethical and compliance standards. Highlights include:
Fostering Inclusion: A global DEI team promoted a culture of belonging and embraced the diverse workforce by launching a new training to empower all team members to support an inclusive work environment. Team members around the world were also engaged in listening sessions about inclusion, gaining valuable feedback in the process
Caring for Team Members: Team members were offered a suite of enhanced benefit programs to support holistic well-being and mental health including increasing parental leave in the U.S.
Investing in Employee Resource Groups (ERGs): ERG membership increased, with over 5,400 active members globally, creating a more inclusive work environment and community.
Resilient and Sustainable Operations: Cencora is committed to operating responsibly in its vital role at the center of the pharmaceutical supply chain, ensuring people and animals have access to the medications they need while protecting the health of the planet. Highlights include:
Climate and Energy Management: A near-term science-based emissions target was set and received validation by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), with a goal to reduce Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 54.6% by FY2032, in line with the 1.5-degree scenario. Cencora reduced emissions by nearly 2% from its base year and investments in renewable energy around the world are continuously being made.
Waste Management, Recycling and Sustainable Packaging: Cencora continued to incorporate sustainable packaging solutions, which resulted in more than 40% of World Courier shipments utilizing reusable packaging. Cencora also collaborated with a manufacturing partner to launch an injection pen recycling program, which is estimated to recycle 25 million pens per year.
Supplier Diversity: Diverse suppliers were further embedded into Cencora’s Marketplace platform to connect verified suppliers, over 65% of which are diverse, with independent pharmacy customers to help them secure inventory and community needs.
Healthy Customers and Communities: Cencora broadens access to quality healthcare and accelerates positive health outcomes in communities and with customers around the world. Highlights include:
The Cencora Impact Foundation: An independent, not-for-profit charitable giving organization, the Foundation, with Cencora, donated more than $12 million in financial contributions and product donations to communities across the globe in 2023. Together with team members, more than $1.5 million in financial contributions to 840 organizations through matching gifts and volunteer/board service programs was provided.
Supporting Global Crises: The Cencora Impact Foundation supported numerous disasters, including aid for impacted communities and support for team members through the Cencora Team Assistance Fund. In the wake of the devastating series of earthquakes that impacted Türkiye and Syria in February, the Cencora Impact Foundation donated $250,000 of relief funds to several nonprofit partners.
Expanding Access to Healthcare: In FY23, Cencora continued to strive to improve health outcomes through numerous programs like the Alphega Pharmacy Oncology Support Program, which helps pharmacists offer better advice and support to patients living with cancer.
Encouraging Innovation: A Community of Practice (CoP) to foster a collaborative product culture that enables team members to contribute to innovation was established.
Cencora has been included in the S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook 2024. Yearbook members are selected based on their score from the S&P Global 2023 Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA). To be listed in the Yearbook, companies must score within the top 15% of their industry and must achieve a CSA Score within 30% of their industry’s top-performing company.
For more information on the 2023 ESG Report and DEI Progress Report, please visit: https://esg.cencora.com/reports
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About Cencora
Cencora is a leading global pharmaceutical solutions organization centered on improving the lives of people and animals around the world. We partner with pharmaceutical innovators across the value chain to facilitate and optimize market access to therapies. Care providers depend on us for the secure, reliable delivery of pharmaceuticals, healthcare products, and solutions. Our 46,000+ worldwide team members contribute to positive health outcomes through the power of our purpose: We are united in our responsibility to create healthier futures. Cencora is ranked #11 on the Fortune 500 and #24 on the Global Fortune 500 with more than $250 billion in annual revenue. Learn more at www.cencora.com.
Media Contact:
Michelle Engro; Sr. Manager, Public Relations, Cencora