Innovation is part of the daily lives of the AstraZeneca teams and this is reflected not only in the research development of the most advanced therapies, but also through the projects we design and implement and through the company’s unique approach and positioning.
With sustainability in its DNA, AstraZeneca designs new actions every year to reduce its environmental footprint, contributing to the improvement of health care and supporting the local community.
In 2021 we achieved the Climate Positive distinction, after being Carbon Neutral in the previous year, a recognition that only a few companies accomplished. This distinction was possible due to the planting of 5000 trees, and also to the commitment to an increasingly environmentally-friendly fleet – it’s expected that by 2025 all of our vehicles will be electric- and to an omnichannel strategy that allows us to reduce the number of kilometers traveled, and consequently of CO2 emissions, through the choice of the most suitable contact channels for each customer. In addition to the installation of photovoltaic panels, which allow the buildings to be self-sustainable, we are making changes that will make it even more environmentally friendly. Plastic disposal and waste treatment policies in place for several years now have also contributed significantly to reducing the environmental footprint.
We continue contributing to the improvement of health care provision with the most innovative therapies and we are also committed to the development of several projects that aim to increase health literacy and knowledge in several pathologies. The highlight goes to the disease awareness campaigns that we’ve developed throughout the year, in partnership with patient associations and scientific societies; to the scientific studies that we’re carrying out, such as PORTHOS – PORTuguese Heart failure Observational Study and EPI-ASTHMA – Prevalence and characterization of Asthma Portuguese patients according to disease severity. Also noteworthy are the numerous, and growing, clinical trials underway in our country and the Continuous Medical Education initiatives aiming to share scientific knowledge with the medical/scientific communities.
The support to the Oeiras community is recurrent, namely through the partnership with Oeiras Solidária. In addition to the regular collection of goods and its distribution to the institutions in the municipality, AstraZeneca also makes its own donations. This year, AstraZeneca allowed its employees to use working days in volunteering activities. It also launched a donation campaign with two national NGOs, with the company itself matching the amount donated by employees.
At the same time, the AstraZeneca Foundation (FAZ) supports innovation through the awarding of grants for the development of scientific work in medicine and annually launches the FAZ Science Award, given to the best translational research projects. In recent years, the award has distinguished projects in the area of oncology, being developed in partnership with the Portuguese Society of Oncology.
