ESG Archives - Medical Design Sourcing

Boston Scientific’s Kathryn Unger on how to stand up an ESG program

Kathryn Unger is VP of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) at Boston Scientific. [Photo courtesy of Boston Scientific]

Kathryn Unger, VP of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) at Boston Scientific, joined the medical device developer and manufacturer in September 2022 to form the ESG team.

“The patient is and must be at the center of everything we do,” she said DeviceTalks Boston in May. “We’re constantly trying to ensure that we have the absolute best patient outcome, from a risk-to-the-patient perspective, period. That has to be our guiding principle, right? However, that’s not an excuse to not improve the design of our medical devices. … There has to be product stewardship that starts before you get to the manufacturing piece. And that design needs to be circular and consider the full life cycle.”

Unger had advice for companies that want to launc…

Tegra Medical achieves ISO 14001 Environmental Management Certification

NEWS RELEASE: Tegra Medical Achieves ISO 14001 Environmental Management Certification

The medical device manufacturer commits to reducing its environmental impact

Tegra Medical, a leading contract manufacturer of medical devices and a member of SFS, which is headquartered in Heerbrugg Switzerland, today announced it has achieved ISO 14001 certification in all four of its locations in the Americas.

ISO 14001 certification, the world’s most widely recognized standard for Environmental Management Systems, is granted to companies that identify and manage aspects of their business to reduce their environmental impact. Certification is established with a baseline, which is determined after an extensive audit of a company’s procedures.

The audit is followed by a plan for improvement in selected areas. Some of Tegra Medical’s areas upon which to focus improvement include material reuse, waste reduction, composting, and evaluating equipment for a…

Zimmer Biomet adds ESG and CEO visibility to executive’s duties

Zimmer Biomet Chief Communications and Administration Officer Keri Mattox [Photo courtesy of Zimmer Biomet]Zimmer Biomet (NYSE:ZBH) today announced additional responsibilities for Investor Relations SVP and Chief Communications Officer Keri Mattox.

Mattox’s new title at the Warsaw, Indiana-based orthopedics company is chief communications and administration officer.

She will be responsible for “building and executing a comprehensive strategy around Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives and increasing CEO visibility, engagement and accessibility,” the company said in a news release.

Get the full story at our sister site, Medical Design & Outsourcing.

Zimmer Biomet adds ESG and CEO visibility to executive’s duties

Zimmer Biomet Chief Communications and Administration Officer Keri Mattox [Photo courtesy of Zimmer Biomet]

Zimmer Biomet (NYSE:ZBH) today announced additional responsibilities for Investor Relations SVP and Chief Communications Officer Keri Mattox.

Mattox’s new title at the Warsaw, Indiana-based orthopedics company is chief communications and administration officer. She will be responsible for “building and executing a comprehensive strategy around Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives and increasing CEO visibility, engagement and accessibility,” the company said in a news release.

Mattox will report to Chair, President and CEO Bryan Hanson, who said the new ESG function is essential “as we continue to focus on delivering on our mission to alleviate pain and improve the quality of life for people around the world.”

“Since joining Zimmer Biomet …

Johnson & Johnson faces another ballot battle on racial equity audit

Johnson & Johnson is fighting another shareholder proposal for an independent racial equality audit of the company.

New Brunswick, New Jersey–based J&J (NYSE:JNJ) defeated a similar measure at last year’s annual meeting of shareholders, though the vote was far from a landslide. The company also unsuccessfully petitioned the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to keep it off the ballot.

Now, an independent audit is again up for consideration at the April 28 annual meeting after surviving another J&J appeal to the SEC.

Proponents of the audit cite ongoing controversies over talcum powder allegedly marketed to minorities. They also point to the J&J Political Action Committee’s financial support of Republican members of Congress who voted to overturn President Joe Biden’s election after insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol.

“Perhaps not since the civil rights era of the 1960s have citizens spoken with a…

Pharma sector’s reputation dips in 2022 report

Image courtesy of Pexels

The pharmaceutical industry’s reputation has slid over the past year, according to recent research from reputation data specialist RepTrak (Boston). This year, the sector had a reputation score of 71.3, placing it below the tobacco and transportation sectors but ahead of the retail and consumer services industries.

“With opinions conflicting on the COVID-19 vaccine, and the government’s role in mandating it, this YoY decrease shows that history-changing vaccines were not enough to distract from Pharma’s original sins,” the 2022 Global RepTrak 100 report explained.

Last year, however, the pharma industry had the most significant year-over-year reputational improvement of any sector, according to RepTrak’s 2021 reputational ranking.

The Harris Poll found a similar trend in February, when it found that 47% of people had a positive view o…

Lilly prices first sustainability bond

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) has announced its plan to issue €600 million in aggregate principal in the amount of 0.50% notes with 12-year maturity as part of its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy.

In May, the company announced that it had updated its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy, bolstering its investment in sustainability. The ESG strategy is based on five pillars outlined in its Sustainability Bond Framework. Those pillars including increasing access to medicines, improving lives and communities, empowering a diverse workforce, minimizing environmental impact, and operating ethically and responsibly.

“Lilly is taking another step forward in advancing our purpose of making life better for people around the world,” said Anat Ashkenazi, Lilly’s CFO, in a statement. “This sustainability bond is Lilly’s latest commitment to our ESG strategy, which is core to our mission.”

Ash…