Many companies are dedicated to corporate sustainability efforts, but few can say they were ranked as top contenders on Barron's list of Most Sustainable Companies in America—three years running. It takes a serious commitment—from everyone in an organization—to be recognized as one of the top companies in any corporate ranking.
2021 marks the third year in a row Agilent has ranked in the top three of Barron's Most Sustainable Companies in America. Agilent has also been number one in the life sciences industry in each of the four years Barron's has published the Most Sustainable Companies list.
The Agilent Sustainability Statement
We strive to consistently improve sustainability in our operations, and through our products and technologies that address complex issues in a sustainable way.
Our mission is to provide trusted answers and insights that advance the quality of life. We believe that sustainability is an important part of achieving that mission. We are committed to being good corporate citizens, acting responsibly in pursuit of our goals. That means we must operate in a sustainable manner and help others do the same.
All of our actions are based on our long-standing values, which we undertake with uncompromising integrity. Our culture has always included respect for the contributions of every employee in our global workforce. We support the communities in which we live and work and encourage employees to share their time and talents to help others.
Agilent's Sustainability Guiding Principles
- Create employee work environments that are safe, healthy, and conducive to collaboration and innovation
- Enable our customers to operate more sustainably and address world challenges through the use of our products and services
- Reduce the environmental impact of our operations through resource conservation, reducing our carbon footprint and waste
- Drive consistent, responsible profit
- Embrace diversity and inclusion in all aspects of our business
- Be an economic, intellectual and sustainable role model in communities and countries where we operate
Specific Agilent Actions
- Develop products designed to enhance the sustainability initiatives of our customers
- Partner with our suppliers to operate sustainably, and require full transparency from vendors regarding sustainable products and services
- Continue to provide the healthiest and safest workspaces possible through sustainable renovations, operations and certifications
- Implement sustainability opportunities, identify metrics and track progress throughout our operations and supply chain; ensure compliance through a combination of self- sand third-party audits and certifications
- Continue to encourage and develop diversity and inclusion in our workforce, investing in programs that advance these principles
- Encourage employees to share their knowledge and talents in building sustainable communities by providing paid volunteer time off, matching their charitable contributions and encouraging science education through a variety of Agilent science programs
- Report on our sustainability practices and progress to employees, investors and customers on a regular basis
Agilent Sustainability Effort in Action
Agilent Goes to Sea
You can get just about anything from just about anywhere in three days: clothes, food, even materials for making lab equipment. It just takes the click of a button and the logistics of a transatlantic flight.
But what is convenient isn't always best — for business or the environment.
Air freight typically costs four to five times more than road transport and 12-16 times more than sea freight, according to The World Bank. In 2018, air freight accounted for 171 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
So, Agilent has taken to the seas with Project Air to Ocean. The initiative replaced air transport with sea transport for materials shipped from supplier sites in China to logistics centers in the United States.
In fiscal year 2020, nearly 200 tons of materials were shipped via ocean from a total of five suppliers in China at about one-third the cost of air freight. On the environmental side, that results in carbon dioxide emissions savings of 1,307 tons — the equivalent of 6,284 trees.
Sustainable Innovation in Laboratories
Agilent is passionate about supporting our customers through sustainable innovation. In a recent global Pharma Lab Leaders Survey, 87% of lab managers within large pharma indicated that sustainability goals are important in terms of how their labs are run. Furthermore, 68% of pharma labs reported that further work is required to achieve their sustainability goals.
To support sustainable innovation in laboratories, Agilent has recently become a top-level sponsor of My Green Lab, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving sustainability in scientific research. Agilent is working with My Green Lab to have its instruments independently audited for the organization's Accountability, Consistency, and Transparency (ACT) label. The ACT label provides information about the environmental impact of manufacturing, using and disposing of a product and its packaging, enabling purchasers to make better informed, sustainable choices.
Sustainability via Innovative R&D and Manufacturing at the Forefront of Agilent Products
We strive to consistently improve sustainability within our operations and through our products and technologies that address complex issues in a sustainable way.
- The Agilent Intuvo 9000 GC System requires less than half the electrical power of a conventional GC
- Agilent IDP Scroll Pumps are oil-free, compact and quiet high-performance vacuum pumps
- The Agilent 4210 MP-AES runs on air, eliminating flammable or oxidizing gases
The Agilent mission is to advance the quality of life, and sustainability is an important part of fulfilling that mission.
Resources:
- Read how Agilent supports customers through sustainable innovation in our infographic and press release.
- Visit the Agilent Awards page for more insights into our global sustainability achievements.