2020 has been a year like no other. As a global pandemic continues to take its toll, recent acts of hate and violence have cast a spotlight on racism, injustice and deeply ingrained divisions in our society. These challenges have compelled us to take new actions to support our global community, protect vulnerable individuals and uplift marginalized populations. There is great hope that this time of anguish and unrest will lead to needed change. And to do our part, we need to hold ourselves accountable for the commitments we make.
At Boston Scientific, our annual performance report is one way we use transparent reporting to measure our progress and continue to raise our standards. It acknowledges the achievements of our worldwide teams and reinforces why we must continue to do more for our customers and the patients we serve together through sustainable and inclusive business practices.
Here are just a few of the stories from our most recent report that capture how our teams are putting our mission and values in action, and how we are applying past learnings to help us address critical needs.
People - the heartbeat of our mission
Katharina Bauer. Alex Lamb. Valentina Arango. Their stories, along with the stories of more than 30 million other patients reached in 2019, are our inspiration. They fuel our pursuit of innovation, both in business and in our broader societal footprint.
As a global company, it is important to have diverse perspectives and people who reflect the patients, customers and markets we serve. In addition to supporting growth, this leads to greater diversity of thought, which fuels innovation and creates a more rewarding place to work. In 2018, we established two-year 10/20/40 diversity and inclusion (D&I) goals to enable growth opportunities for all employees.
These goals sparked momentum and pinpointed more that we can be doing. We have now set three new ambitious measures to increase gender and multicultural representation by 2023. We’re calling our new goals 3Up:
- Increase representation of multicultural talent at the supervisor and manager level to at least 23 percent—an increase of 3 percentage points
- Increase representation of women at the supervisor and manager level to at least 43 percent—an increase of 3 percentage points
- Continue to be a “Top 10%” globally recognized leader for workplace inclusion
To accelerate change throughout the organization, we’ve instituted programs and training for middle management, including mandatory unconscious bias training, diversity recruiting partnerships and programs, inclusive hiring practices and ally and mentorship initiatives.
Protecting the health of our planet
We cannot continue to improve the lives of our patients and employees if we do not maintain a responsible footprint in the world we share.
“Working in the healthcare space, we have the privilege to help advance science and improve patient health, but we also have the responsibility to do this work in a sustainable manner that enriches communities. We’ve set aggressive environmental goals to do our part to help shape a better future for our planet, and we’re holding ourselves accountable.” – Brad Sorenson, senior vice president, Manufacturing and Supply Chain
With more than 4 million square feet of independently certified green real estate around the world, including five sites with ISO 15001 certified energy management systems, we are making significant strides towards or commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.
As of last year, we reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 47 percent and water consumption by 30 percent. In April, we signed a virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) to address the electricity load for the company’s U.S. operations. As a result of the agreement, Boston Scientific will offset emissions equivalent to removing more than 34,000 passenger vehicles from the road, or the amount of electricity needed to power more than 18,000 homes each year.
Collaboration at the core of innovation
We are better together. To accelerate the pace of discoveries and bring new treatments to patients, collaboration is critical for rapidly developing more advanced, better therapies that fulfill unmet clinical needs.
Boston Scientific clinicians, researchers and industry across global sites work side by side, evaluating ideas, developing prototypes, and conducting feasibility studies. In 2019, we took this one step further when, in partnership with Mayo Clinic, Boston Scientific announced Motion Medical, a new joint innovation accelerator that aims to accelerate the development of minimally invasive technologies across several key specialty areas.
More recently, we applied these skills to partner with a team of medical experts, clinicians and industry leaders to help fulfill the demand for personal protective equipment during the height of the COVID-19 crisis. In just 38 days, medical experts, clinicians, and industry leaders worked together to develop the PneumaskTM, a reusable face shield to protect healthcare professionals working tirelessly to provide patient care during the pandemic.
At Boston Scientific, we have always found our purpose working alongside healthcare providers to solve some of healthcare’s toughest challenges. Our commitment is unwavering, regardless of the overwhelming obstacles we face today. With our history as a strong foundation and our values as our guide, we will emerge from this challenging time stronger, together.
Visit the 2019 Boston Scientific Performance Report to read more about these stories and our continued focus on shaping a better future for patients, customers, employees and the communities in which we live and work.