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Overall policy
Engaging in climate action is very important for the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) since, in its work, it witnesses the significant effects of climate change on health. It is for this reason that the initiative has committed to developing innovative treatments for climate-sensitive diseases while reducing its carbon footprint and environmental impact. The initiative is committed to halving its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and establishing new partnerships to strengthen collective impact. DNDi has partnered with the Climate Action Accelerator to assess its 2019 baseline emissions and has developed a Climate and Environmental Roadmap to guide organizational efforts to reduce carbon emissions by 50% by 2030. The roadmap outlines the steps necessary to reduce emissions within the organization’s control, including those from offices and travel, as well as emissions resulting from DNDi’s work with partners.
Roadmap implementation phase
DNDi has kicked off the implementation phase by nominating a core team to lead various workstreams that will operationalize the steps outlined in the Roadmap, with participation from all nine DNDi offices in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and North America, and covering the following areas:
The initiative is committed to reducing the energy consumption of its buildings by 2030, which will contribute to 7.7% of the emissions reduction effort. DNDi will assess the feasibility per regional office of a range of energy solutions, e.g., following sustainable standards when buildings are constructed or renovated; improving building insulation; regulating room temperatures; replacing generators with solar panels; and seeking greener alternatives for electricity contracts. DNDi aims to source 50% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2026, and 80% by 2030.
DNDi’s meetings and other events will start reducing food-related emissions through the use of lower-impact ingredients and reduced, recycled, and recyclable packaging. DNDi also plans to create a circle of optimization and reuse in relation to the provenance of the products proposed daily to its employees. This means using local products provided in packaging that is biodegradable and transformed into compost to be reused again as fertilizer in the gardens and farmlands of local producers.
Mobility, and more specifically air travel, accounts for a large proportion of DNDi’s emissions. For this reason, DNDi aims to reduce the number of kilometres travelled by its employees, fly with lower-emission airline companies, and reduce business class journeys by 80%. Rail journeys and lower-emission cars will be prioritized when feasible. To complement this measure, incentives to encourage the use of public transport and “soft mobility” will be established, with the aim of considerably reducing the number of employees using their cars to commute to work.
DNDi is focused on selecting green partners to provide or power DNDi IT services. In addition, DNDi is engaged in several actions to minimize its impact on the climate: promoting the use of a single phone, promoting the leasing of IT equipment whenever possible, and encouraging the recycling of electrical and electronic equipment. In this way, the initiative hopes to reduce the number of smartphones used by employees by 30% by 2030, and to identify one employee per office responsible for the recycling of IT equipment.
DNDi’s office in Geneva has successfully implemented a system of centralized waste and recycling collection points per floor. There is no longer a waste bin beside each desk, and instead the office provides:
• Waste and paper collection points near printers and in several locations through office corridors, and
• Waste, PET, glass, and aluminium collection points in meeting rooms and all kitchens.
An audit of each floor was conducted with external advisors to assess layout, distances, and waste management needs, with the goal that there is a centralized waste collection point not far from each desk.
2050Today’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions measurement methodology follows the GHG Protocol. The Protocol provides standards and guidance for organizations to measure and manage climate-warming emissions. It was created in 1998 through a partnership between the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).
According to the GHG Protocol, the distribution of emissions is done by scopes:
Scope 1 represents direct emissions linked to the consumption of fossil fuels.
Scope 2 represents indirect emissions from the generation of purchased electricity, steam, heating and cooling consumed by the reporting company
Scope 3 includes all other indirect emissions that occur in a company’s value chain (i.e. purchased good or services, business travel, employee commuting).
The 2050Today carbon footprint takes into account the reported emissions generated by the activities of the institution over one year and is divided by categories:
Energy and water
It takes into account the amount of the consumed electricity produced and purchased by the institution. The energy consumed to heat and/or cool the institution’s building area and the consumed water are included as well.
Mobility
It takes into consideration business travels and commuting (on a survey basis).
Food
The CO2 impact of food includes the catering of the institution and individual consumption (on a survey basis) during working hours.
Purchased goods
The perimeter of purchased goods is set to a list of new office equipment, new mobility equipment (vehicles) and construction materials.
Waste
The perimeter of the waste inventory is set to waste production from facilities and internal operations of the institution
It has to be noted that the collected data of the 2050Today members resulting in each carbon footprint are not yet fully standardized and might not be entirely complete. Data collection is being progressively harmonized and improved. Therefore, direct comparisons between tCO2 / employee among institutions – be it in general or per sector – are not yet possible nor relevant.
To ensure the reliability, the accuracy and a recurrent updating of the carbon footprint assessment, 2050Today is advised by an international Carbon Footprint Scientific Committee.
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