Vitrolife´s integrated approach to sustainability

Why there is a need for the sustainable development goals 

The establishment in 2015 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has created a global consensus on the development framework for a better world. However, as we look to the next decade, there is significant cause for concern about the future. The IPCC’s Sixth Assessment report, released in August 2021, confirms that it is indisputable that human influence has warmed the climate system, raising global surface temperature. The report confirms that there is no going back from some changes that are already affecting the climate system. These changes in the climate are widespread, rapid and intensifying and impacts are affecting every region on Earth, including the oceans.

In a world of increasing inequality, civil unrest and environmental stress, business will only thrive if the 2030 Agenda is realized.

Even if the environmental issues dominate the global arena this year, it is important to keep in mind is that the SDGs are deeply interconnected and a lack of progress on one goal can hinder progress on others. In a world of increasing inequality, civil unrest and environmental stress, business will only thrive if the 2030 Agenda is realized. The shift towards greater sustainability and the ambitious agenda that the SDGs represent goes beyond business as usual and present companies with complex, multi-dimensional, and sometimes interconnected issues. At Vitrolife, we have intensified our efforts to align our business and operations with the SDGs, to build resilience, and leading change responsibly in our industry. We are convinced that this will open up new market opportunities and have the potential to unleash innovations, strengthen our economic growth and development globally for a greater good.

How Vitrolife works with sustainability

Vitrolife has the past months been working on a comprehensive update of our materiality analysis, deepening our understanding of which sustainability issues are most important to focus on going forward. To do this in an ordered manner, the work is guided by a value chain and impact analysis aligned with international frameworks and legislation such as EU NFDR, GRI Standards, the UN Global Compact, the SDG Compass and SASB. The targeted material sustainability issues are integral with our core business and our annual business strategy process, complementing our strategic priorities where sustainability already is highlighted.

The future work - sustainability 2030

The SDGs points the direction of the world to 2030 and beyond, increasing the need for long term strategic shifts. To handle this, ensure our long term competitiveness and our contribution to the fulfilment of the global sustainability agenda we have initiated a work where we will continue to develop our enterprise risk analysis in order to more holistically and transparently identify and address our long term sustainability challenges. This work will be presented in more detail in our 2022 Sustainability Report.

At Vitrolife, all colleagues contribute to our success. We believe that it is only through our shared knowledge, teamwork and commitment, that we will be able to ensure sustainability in everything we do and become even more successful.