Big Pharma rides vaccine boost with switch to 100 per cent renewables

“Big Pharma” is enjoying a much-needed reputational boost off the back of Covid-19 vaccines, and it is now dosing up on climate action and renewable energy in an effort to lock in that rise in public approval.

Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna have become household names for their production of Covid19 vaccines. Yet, as Australian governments target vaccine uptake to end lockdowns, less well known are decisions by these vaccine companies to work towards for 100% renewable energy.

AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson have both pledged to reach 100% renewable energy by 2025 under the corporate renewable energy initiative RE100. Separately, Pfizer aims to get there by 2030. Moderna has pledged to use renewable energy for its facilities in the United States. 

Sam Kimmins, global head of RE100, told RenewEconomy that drug companies, including AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson made up around 7% of its more than 300 members.

He said vaccine producers’ commitments have “added significance for consumers” given “some of the major companies providing these life saving vaccines, are doing so in an increasingly sustainable way by using renewable electricity.”

Collectively, RE100’s health and pharmaceutical members use more renewable electricity than Costa Rica. In addition to AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, members include a number of other companies developing COVID19 vaccines and treatments, sanitation and related products.

AstraZeneca released a billion-dollar ‘ambition zero’ carbon strategy last year, bringing forward the company’s renewable electricity commitment to 2025, along with goals for zero carbon operations, electric transport and energy productivity. 

By 2030, AstraZeneca aims to be ‘carbon negative’ across its value chain of partners and suppliers, meaning it hopes to cut more greenhouse gas emissions than are created.

“The climate crisis continues to impact the health of communities around the world, so the emergence of COVID-19 has increased, not reduced, the urgency of action on climate”, said Katarina Ageborg AstraZeneca’s executive vice president for sustainability.

According to RE100, AstraZeneca was already at 61% renewable energy in 2019.

Pfizer too, updated its climate statement last year shortly after the company’s Cominarty vaccines entered Phase 3 clinical trials. 

“We have long acknowledged the significant risks posed by climate change, including increased adverse impacts on human health, frequency of severe weather events, and the potential disruption of value chains critical to providing medicines and vaccines to patients”, Pfizer’s climate position states.

In addition to 100% renewable electricity, Pfizer’s goals include carbon neutral operations by 2030, and targets to reduce emissions from business travel by 25% and logistics by 10%.

Moderna aims to source renewable energy for its US facilities. 

In Australia, the Pfizer, Astrazeneca and Moderna vaccines have been approved for use. Globally, other major players include Johnson & Johnson, Sinopharm, Sputnik V and Sinovac.

Johnson & Johnson, is one of three vaccines in use in the United States (together with Pfizer and Moderna). According to RE100, Johnson & Johnson was nearly a third of the way towards its renewable energy commitment in 2019.

A company spokesperson said, “at Johnson & Johnson, we know that human health is inextricably linked to the health of the planet – healthy people need a healthy planet.”

“We are on track to achieve our climate goals globally, including in Australia and New Zealand, and are working to source 100% of our electricity needs from renewable sources by 2025”, the spokesperson said.

The renewable energy and climate commitments of other vaccine producers such as Sinopharm, Sinovac and Sputnik V are not publicly available.