A focus on sustainability that evolves as the world changes
Our focus on sustainability evolves as the world changes; it has always been and will remain a central element of how we do business. Our first product was lanolin, a natural sustainable ingredient created from processing sheep’s wool for textiles. Today, our approach to sustainability comes in many shapes and forms.
Committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
The SDGs underpin our Commitment. Twenty-Three out of the 169 targets that sit below the SDGs are drivers of our strategy; those where we must reduce our negative impacts and where we can make the biggest positive contributions. The targets are grouped around the themes of climate, nature and society, hence our Commitment to be Climate, Land and People Positive.
Beyond these 23 drivers, the remaining SDGs and their targets are similarly important; while they do not drive our strategy, we are contributing to them through our Fundamental objectives and Croda Foundation, and we depend on wider progress across society towards many of them as enablers to achieve our Commitment.
Just as partnerships are critical to the success of the UN Sustainable Development Agenda through SDG 17, achieving our 2030 Commitment is dependent on productive partnerships with all our stakeholders (see p8 business model). In 2022 we joined the WBCSD, the global CEO-led community of more than 200 leading sustainable businesses working together to accelerate the transformations needed for a net zero, nature positive, more equitable future.
Sustainability leadership
We launched our Commitment in 2020, externally benchmarking our targets with the support of CISL to ensure our ambitions aligned with expectations of a sustainability leader in our industry. We have a restorative strategy, designed to ensure that planet and society are better off as a result of our activities, and we are not only mitigating against negative impacts.
We also have important performance indicators outside Climate, Land and People; we believe these Fundamentals are crucial to our success. Our Fundamental targets represent the social licence required for a multinational manufacturing company, such as Croda, to operate in 2030.
Just as partnerships are critical to the success of the UN Sustainable Development Agenda through SDG 17, achieving our 2030 Commitment is dependent on productive partnerships with all our stakeholders. In 2022 we joined the WBCSD, the global CEO-led community of more than 200 leading sustainable businesses working together to accelerate the transformations needed for a net zero, nature positive, more equitable future.
Science Based Targets
In July 2019, we became a signatory for ‘Business Ambition for 1.5°C’ - the UN Global Compact call to action. We committed to becoming a net zero organisation by 2050 and reducing scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions in line with the most ambitious Science Based Targets (SBT) pathway, limiting global temperature rises to no more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and avoiding the most catastrophic effects of climate change.
In 2021 we became the third major chemical company in the world to have our 1.5°C Science Based Target verified. We have committed to reduce our scope 1 and 2 emissions by 46.2% from a 2018 baseline, and reduce upstream scope 3 emissions by 13.5% through collaboration within our supply chain. Developing decarbonisation roadmaps for our manufacturing sites revealed ways to achieve these ambitions.
Targeted resources to accelerate sustainability performance
Our approach to providing resources to meet our 2030 targets follows the Croda model of decentralising wherever possible to be close to the point of need and action. Our central Group Sustainability and Sustainable Sourcing functions provide subject matter and ESG reporting expertise and manage third-party relationships. 2022 saw the development of a global Sustainability Professionals Network, comprised of those employees with a primary focus on sustainability, within the business and outside our central Group function.
Pleasingly, these employees now outnumber our Group sustainability team. This network has been set up to facilitate best practice sharing and allows us to have a much greater reach and impact across the Croda world, building longer-term customer and industry relationships founded on sustainability. We have allocated more resources to supplier engagement, and to reporting more accurately on sustainable sourcing at product level. We have recruited our first sustainability analyst in Group Finance to roll out our Product Carbon Footprinting programme to all locations.
Our Commitment
We will be the most sustainable supplier of innovative ingredients, our action plan for the decade is to be Climate, Land and People Positive by 2030.
Find out moreOur Purpose
‘Smart science’ embodies the knowledge, passion and entrepreneurial spirit of our people to create, make and sell speciality ingredients used by industries and consumers around the world.
Find out moreProcurement and sustainable sourcing
Using natural resources brings a responsibility to ensure no associated negative social or environmental impacts, and an opportunity to advocate and contribute to positive change.
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