“Brighter lives for all through science-based innovation“
Ever-ambitious, purpose-led and performance-driven
For Dutch-founded global company DSM, sustainability is the common thread that runs through everything it does. DSM prides itself as a global purpose-led, science-based company specializing in Nutrition, Health & Sustainable Living. Their purpose is to create brighter lives for all, achieving it through scientific innovation, creating value for customers, shareholders, and society at large.
Operating sustainably has been part of its identity and has underpinned all business strategy and operations. The company’s commitment to sustainability has been exemplified through its commitment in aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with special attention paid to SDGs 2, 3, 7, 12, and 13.
The first SDG DSM is strongly committed to is SDG 2 Zero Hunger: a call to end global hunger, achieve food security, and promote sustainable agriculture. In doing so, DSM has leveraged its expertise in human nutrition solutions, creating fortified foods with micronutrients that are affordable and easily accessible to malnourished individuals and communities globally. Across the region, DSM has contributed significantly to Nutrition Improvement Programmes to ensure equitable access to affordable and nutritious foods. This includes creating locally relevant, nutritious, and affordable food products that are easily accessible for rural and vulnerable communities.
Good Health and Wellbeing (SDG 3), the second SDG of focus works in tandem with achieving Zero Hunger for all. DSM has invested significant resources to promote healthy lives for all, regardless of age. The link between adequate nutrition and health has never been clearer. For the first time in human history, diet-related non-communicable diseases (including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers) have overtaken communicable diseases as the primary cause of deaths worldwide. This multi-business unit operation involved collaboration among its health, nutrition, biomedical and high-performance materials teams providing sustainable solutions that help transform this goal into a reality.
The next goal DSM is strongly committed it is Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7). In working towards achieving this goal, DSM has made active steps to transform its energy consumption by improving biomass conversion of biofuels and biogas. The company has also recently announced that its operations in North America will be powered by 100% renewable energy by the end of 2021. DSM is also firmly on track to achieve 75% renewable electricity by 2030 and aims to source its electricity fully from renewable sources at the earliest opportunity.
Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12) is DSM’s fourth SDG of focus. In creating products that are sustainable, equal attention needs to be paid on production and consumption patterns. This involves ensuring that stakeholders such as suppliers to DSM are equally committed to creating products and services that create value along three dimensions: human, environmental, and economic. Sustainability guides all of DSM’s actions and this standard also forms the basis to how the company chooses and engages with its suppliers.
Climate Action (SDG 13) is DSM’s fifth and final SDG of focus. The fifth SDG cements DSM’s commitment to take urgent action towards combatting climate change and its impacts. Climate change is happening and the world needs to act fast to mitigate its devastating effects. DSM has been creating solutions that directly help to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions such as feed additives for cows, or heavily investing in renewable energy processes for a reduced global carbon footprint. DSM has also announced recently plans to accelerate science-based Greenhouse Gas emissions reduction target to 50% by the close of the decade. This is an increase of 20% from its original goal of 30%, creating a firm foundation for the company to achieve a net-zero emissions level by 2050.
With the upcoming United Nations Food Systems Summit, DSM is looking to advance nutritious, sustainably produced animal and plant-based proteins that will be affordable for all. This involves exploring ways to reduce the emissions footprint of the agriculture and livestock industry, and develop methods to cut down food loss and waste across the food value chain. All these goals are in line with the above mentioned five priority SDGs and are part of DSM’s overarching plans to promote healthy and accessible diets that are nutritious for all and produced within planetary boundaries.
In creating better futures for all, DSM recognises the impact of private companies on the environment and the global economy. This culminated in DSM’s Brighter Living Agenda which guides and brings together many existing purpose-led initiatives, creating an actionable framework for further engagement with our stakeholders. Its approach comprises three pillars: Improve; Enable; and Advocate.
Improve focuses on improving continually raising safety standards, promoting health and well-being in its workforce, reducing our emissions, increasing our use of renewable energy, and unlocking more value from limited resources.
Enable focusses on empowering DSM’s customers to have a positive impact by creating products and services that enable customers and stakeholder to deliver sustainable and healthy solutions for the planet and society.
Advocate refers to DSM’s advocacy in creating systemic change in our ecosystem and being responsible for brighter futures for the generations to come.
In order to achieve its goals for a brighter future for all, DSM continues to collaborate with other like-minded partners from the public and / or private sectors to expedite the collectively beneficial aims of achieving the SDGs.
As testament to DSM’s commitment to sustainability, the company holds an EcoVadis Platinum CSR rating; an A-rating from CDP on Climate Change strategy; a AAA MSCI rating; among other key benchmarks. DSM also extends its high expectation on sustainable production to its suppliers, ensuring their practices align with DSM’s Supplier Code of Conduct, and using audits to ensure these standards are met. DSM is also a member of the RE100 initiative led by The Climate Group in partnership with CDP that brings together the most influential companies that are committed to 100% renewable power.
DSM has progressed much since its origins in coal mining. Today, the purpose-led, performance-driven company has transformed itself into a company that is truly bright: creating science-based solutions that result in a world that is happier, healthier, and safer.
“Royal DSM is a global leader in sustainability. The impact that it has made in the lives of its millions of customers and the environment is immeasurable. But the work is never done and we cannot wait to see the company’s next bright science solutions.”
Shanggari Balakrishnan, Chief Executive Officer, MORS Group
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