• Sustainability is a significant priority for consumers and businesses worldwide. As more consumers are paying attention to the environmental impact of the products they buy, manufacturers in the nutrition and health industry must look for innovative ways to develop solutions that are safe, science-backed and sustainable.
  
• World Environment Day, which takes place on June 5^th, offers an opportunity to reflect on the importance of a sustainable supply chain in creating environmentally-friendly products that align with consumer needs, preferences and values.
• Read on to discover the steps DSM is taking to minimize environmental impact within the nutrition and health space; ensuring collaboration across the value chain through effective partnerships and developing innovative new programs, such as CO2REDUCE, to support global sustainability goals.
  

Consumers are more aware than ever of their impact on the environment. In a recent survey, 8 out of 10 people agreed that climate change is a direct result of human activity, and 73% of consumers want to make more sustainable choices.¹ This World Environment Day, we’re recognizing how the nutrition and health industry is becoming a driver of positive change towards a more sustainable future. As the first chemical company to set science-based sustainability targets in 2019, DSM is leading the way in tackling climate change and safeguarding our collective future through a range of sustainability initiatives.

Read on to discover how DSM is working with its suppliers and sustainability leaders to help reduce the environmental impact of our customers’ products, as part of our purpose-led approach.

Partner with the planet

At DSM, we’re proud to collaborate with a broad range of governments, NGOs, climate initiatives, suppliers and customers on a global scale. These relationships are crucial to our ability to streamline the manufacturing process in line with our sustainability goals, as well as the targets outlined in the Paris Agreement and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

For example, we are a member of the Climate Group’s RE100 – all leading companies that have committed to sourcing 100% of their electricity from renewable sources at the earliest possible opportunity. We’re delighted to announce that, to date, 60% of our purchased electricity comes from renewable resources, marking significant progress towards our aim of sourcing 75% renewable electricity by 2030. 

When it comes to reducing our environmental impact, we believe in leading by example. Our climate commitment has been recognized by the CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project), who has awarded DSM with Leadership status and an A score for our climate change disclosure. This accreditation demonstrates our comprehensive disclosure of environmental data, thorough awareness of risks, strong governance and management of those risks, and implementation of market-leading best practices. Because of this, our customers can have peace of mind that DSM is well-equipped to provide innovative and responsible guidance throughout the sustainable product development journey.

As well as actively working with climate groups to reduce environmental impact, we also make it a priority to support our external suppliers in reinforcing their own sustainability credentials. Scope 3 emissions, which are indirectly produced by activities across the value chain, contribute to over 80% of DSM’s total GHG emissions and are largely defined by the raw materials we procure from third parties. To ensure progress towards our science-based target of reducing scope 3 emissions by 28% per ton of product by 2030, we set up our CO2REDUCE supplier engagement program. First introduced in 2019, this sees us working with our key partners across the value chain to lower their carbon footprint. 

Get with the program: CO2REDUCE and its impact on the value chain

The CO2REDUCE program utilizes a three-step collaborative approach, encouraging our suppliers to reduce upstream emissions through:  

1. Understanding mutual sustainability data status and ambitions to tap into existing supplier developments.
2. Establisting a common starting point to reduce emissions by sharing carbon footprint information as a baseline for improvements.
3. Defining and implementing an emissions reduction plan towards 2030.

Our science-based targets were introduced in 2019, and since then we have made significant progress towards our 2030 sustainability goals. For example, 2020 saw a scope 3 emission intensity reduction of 5%, versus our overall target of achieving a 28% reduction by 2030. However, no company is an island, and all stakeholders across the supply chain must work together to create a truly sustainable value chain and environmentally-friendly end products for consumers. That’s why we continue to collaborate with our suppliers and our partners, enabling them to adapt to a more sustainable future and make sure the world we live in is happy and healthy.  

Find out how partnering with DSM can help deliver sustainable, purpose-led solutions that support the health of people and the planet - get in touch here.