Setting a Science-based target and an emissions reduction strategy for the pharmaceutical group Servier

EcoAct has been supporting the Servier group since the beginning of its climate strategy. The pharmaceutical company wanted to step up its action in the fight against climate change and needed help to structure its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction trajectory.

Emitting more than 100,000 tCO₂eq per year on its Scopes 1 and 2, the group wanted to have a better vision of the sector’s best practices in climate action, set a science-based target (SBT) and define a robust action plan to reduce its direct and indirect emissions (Scopes 1, 2 and 3) while being aligned with the Paris agreement.

Due to the diversity of its activities and its international supply chain, the real challenge was to obtain reliable data to measure the group’s carbon footprint by enabling all sites to monitor their GHG emissions reduction trajectory.

The collaboration between the Servier group and EcoAct to implement the emission reduction strategy happened in several stages.

First, our experts carried out a comparative analysis of the climate strategies of Servier’s main competitors to position them according to four elements: measuring, reducing, offsetting and communicating. This benchmark, as well as the calculation of the carbon footprint of Servier’s 3 Scopes, enabled us to organise thematic workshops to identify existing reduction actions and those that could be implemented, particularly in five areas: sites’ energy efficiency, the choice of raw materials, waste management, product packaging and the transport of people and goods.

To monitor emissions, EcoAct experts have developed a tool that calculates the carbon footprint on all Scopes by consolidating data from production sites, the different activities of the group and those of its suppliers. Thanks to this tool, Servier is now able to analyse its carbon impact independently.

The analysis of the carbon footprint has enabled the group to define ambitious and achievable targets to reduce their emissions while being aligned with the Paris agreement to limit global warming to below 2°C: Science-based targets (SBT). The validation of an SBT by the SBTi is important to demonstrate an organisation’s real commitment; currently, only 593 organisations have received this validation. Servier’s targets have been defined in line with the possibilities for action in two major areas:

• 25% emissions reduction by 2030 across all 3 Scopes. With indirect emissions exceeding 40% of the total footprint, the group had to commit to reducing them, although they are often the most difficult to manage within supply chains.
• The commitment of suppliers to implement SBTs to optimise Servier’s raw material choices according to their footprint.

The carbon footprint and annual progress towards these targets will be published regularly in the group’s CSR report.

Today, the Servier group continues to deploy this strategy in all its departments and entities. Various actions are being implemented to better measure and reduce the group’s carbon footprint; Servier is also counting on the development of eco-designed alternatives to achieve its objectives.