Our Sustainability Governance
In 2022, supported by the members of our Executive Committee, we established a Sustainability Steering Committee, comprised of representatives from all departments within our organization. The Sustainability Committee ensures that environmental, social and governance considerations are fully integrated into the decision-making processes, including those related to the business strategy, key investments, and performance. Our Sustainability Committee manages and coordinates the relevant activities, and is responsible for the publication of related information and data. The Committee consists of members of senior management and experts in the relevant fields, including Compliance, Patient Advocacy, Legal, Finance, Environment, Health & Safety (EHS), Procurement, Human Resources, Site Operations, Investor Relations, and Communications.
The Executive Committee oversees the Sustainability Committee and approves both the measures and operational structure related to Sustainability. In addition, our Board of Directors, supported by the Audit Committee, oversees the Sustainability oversight structure as well as the strategy for public disclosure with respect to ESG matters.
Reporting framework
To standardize our data collection, we use the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, as our reference framework to link these material aspects to areas of engagement. The SDGs were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and strive to ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.
We are preparing detailed reporting on our material aspects according to the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and anticipate reporting as of full year 2024 in line with EU Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS).
The current sustainability report provides the non-financial information required by articles 3:6 § 4 and 3:32 § 2 of the Belgian Companies Code. For a discussion on risks, please see the section on Risk factors in this Annual Report.
We have identified two core SDG goals where we believe we can make a difference, as well as six enabling SDG goals. Together they will help us to execute on our commitment to our four Sustainability pillars.
The table below links our material aspects and engagement areas to selected aspects of the SDG framework:
CORE SDG
Good health and well-being
More years of life and quality of life by transforming patient outcomes through accelerating life changing science and innovation are at the core of what we do
Partnerships for the goals
We embrace internal and external partnerships to work towards our mission to bringing much needed innovation to patients
ENABLING SDG
Quality education
We invest in our employees and foster an inclusive, open and supportive work environment across our 15 locations in Europe and the U.S.
Gender equality
We cultivate a corporate culture where we strive for gender equality
Decent work and economic growth
We have achieved our long-term ambition of becoming a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company and currently employ >1,300 people across our 15 locations in Europe and the U.S.
Industry, innovation and infrastructure
Our mission is to accelerate transformational innovation through the relentless pursuit of groundbreaking science, our entrepreuneurial spirit, and a collaborative mindset
Reduced inequalities
We aim to develop a balanced workforce across a number of criteria, including gender, nationality, ethnicity, experience and disability
Climate action
We value our planet and take initiatives to safeguard the environment and incorporate greener practices across our organization