Elanco Animal Health Incorporated this week released its 2023 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report, showcasing its dedication to advancing its four intertwined Healthy Purpose™ Pillars: Healthier Animals, Healthier People, Healthier Planet and Healthier Enterprise. The report highlights internal initiatives and strategic external partnerships that are foundational to Elanco’s Healthy Purpose and demonstrate that healthier animals can positively impact major global issues like food security, mental health, social isolation and environmental sustainability.
Additionally, the company has refreshed its Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD) reports, as well as its extensive suite of issue briefs covering leading ESG topics and KPIs, to reflect 2023 data.
“As we celebrate our 70th anniversary, we’re encouraged by the progress our global team has made to continue to raise the bar on our sustainability efforts. Our efforts are embedded across the business to reduce our footprint, increase the expectations of our supply chain, and deeply engage our people in our purpose, allowing us to mitigate some of the most material risks for our business,” said Jeff Simmons, Elanco President and CEO. “We also view sustainability as more than a risk mitigator, for Elanco, it’s a competitive advantage, as we launch innovations that transform animal care for our customers and bring tools to help the environment. From the first treatment for parvovirus – one of the deadliest diseases in puppies – to pioneering new products and helping build marketplaces that support emissions reduction goals, our team members around the world are contributing to support healthier animals and a healthier, more sustainable world.”
In 2023, Elanco refreshed its ESG materiality assessment, in alignment with the GRI Standards, IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards and European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), as a foundation for alignment with emerging ESG reporting requirements around the world. The output of the assessment is summarized in the 2023 report, including the impacts, risks, opportunities and managerial approaches by strategic focus area.
In 2023, Elanco advanced key programs and initiatives focused on delivering on the four pillars of Elanco’s Healthy Purpose:
Healthier animals: Elanco made strides in developing industry leading innovations that enhance the quality of life and health of pets, strengthening the bond between humans and animals, while also broadly delivering the programs and processes that support humans and the animals within their care. 2023 key initiatives included:
- Launched their “Defend Puppies. Defeat Parvo.” initiative to enhance awareness of and education about canine parvovirus, while increasing veterinarian access to our canine parvovirus monoclonal antibody (CPMA) through the establishment of the Elanco’s Defenders Fund, offering up to $1 million in rebate incentives to veterinarians who purchase CPMA to help treat the disease.
- Launched AdTab® (lotilaner), a non-prescription oral monthly flea and tick product for both dogs and cats approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), increasing accessibility and convenience for pet owners by offering AdTab in European pharmacies, pet shops and online.
- Expanded their Elanco Knowledge Solutions (EKS) offering for dairy producers by introducing Dairy Data Access System (DDAS) Plus, a farm-level analytics platform that provides weekly reports across key areas of health and milk production, supporting decision making for producers.
Healthier People: Elanco remained committed to delivering positive impact on global communities, supporting small-scale producers in Nigeria and Uganda, while driving progress in food security and human health. 2023 key initiatives included:
- Acquired the marketed product portfolio for NutriQuest® and in 2023 began bringing these nutritional products to new markets, expanding our portfolio of antibiotic alternatives and delivering expanded portfolio options to our customers.
- Launched Elanco’s Dairy Antibiogram (DAB) initiative — a collaboration between Elanco and New Zealand dairy farms – to enhance farmers’ ability to select the most appropriate antimicrobial to treat mastitis in dairy cows, a painful udder infection that can be caused by a number of different pathogens.
- Piloted Tick Academy, an educational mobile app for farmers that presents content on integrated tick management, as well as contact information for nearby service providers and licensed veterinary retailers in support of Elanco’s Managing Animal Health and Acaricides for Better Africa (MAHABA) initiative in Uganda.
Healthier Planet: Elanco constantly pushes boundaries, developing innovative products that tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges. From pioneering solutions that measure, reduce, and monetize our customer’s carbon emissions on the farm, to minimizing the Company’s operational environmental footprint. 2023 key initiatives included:
- 12 percent of electricity use is from renewable sources, progressing toward our 2030 goal of 100 percent.
- Reused or recycled 91 percent of waste generated by the company, including production wastewater.
- Published a Sustainable Packaging Guideline, to outline the key elements of Elanco’s sustainable packaging program and describe where and how sustainability considerations influence engineering, design and sourcing decisions related to product packaging.
- Helped U.S. dairy and beef customers avoid an estimated 2.3 million metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (CO2e) through the use of Rumensin® in 2023. Cumulatively (2020-2023), Elanco has helped customers avoid an estimated 9.5 million metric tons of emissions with Rumensin, approximately equivalent to taking more than 2.2 million passenger cars off the road for a year.
Healthier Enterprise: Elanco supports hundreds of global grassroots causes through an industry-leading employee volunteer and giving program, while also creating inclusive and safe environments where every colleague can grow personally and professionally. 2023 key initiatives include:
- Became a participant in the U.N. Global Compact, furthering Elanco’s commitment to fundamental business principles involving human rights, labor, anti-corruption and the environment.
- Contributed more than 23,600 employee volunteer hours to the global community, with an estimated value of $790,000 – up from approximately 12,800 hours in 2022.
- Achieved 28 percent employee participation in giving and volunteerism.
- Committed $3.7 million in corporate, Foundation and employee charitable and community giving.
- Increased year-over-year participation in an optional employee development program, Everyone LEADS, by 49 percent.
