Astellas Pharma

Stakeholder engagement
The company discloses how often and through which channels it engages with various stakeholder groups.

Impact and dependencies assessment
The company quantifies its impacts on nature, including biodiversity, by using the Biodiversity Index methodology.

Invasive species
The company identifies the activities that could lead to the introduction of invasive alien species in its own operations.

No leading practices were identified for the company in the social inclusion and community impact area

Sustainability strategy and accountability
Astellas Pharma discloses its process for identifying and prioritising its most relevant sustainability impacts as well as the outcome of this process. While the company discloses some sustainability targets, no evidence that it has group wide targets on key sustainability topics for the most material parts of its value chain could be found in the public domain. Moreover, it reports consistently against all its targets. No evidence was found that Astellas Pharma links performance criteria in senior executives’ remuneration policies to targets and objectives which cover nature, including biodiversity, and social issues. The company does not disclose whether its highest governance body has expertise regarding nature-related topics.

Stakeholder engagement
The company does not disclose an overview of the issues raised during its stakeholder engagement activities.

Lobbying
The company does not report on its lobbying and advocacy practices on nature-related issues, nor whether these activities align with its sustainability strategy.

Impact and dependencies assessment
While the company discloses it assesses its impacts on biodiversity regarding pollution, resource consumption and climate change, no further relevant detail could be found in the public domain. The company does not disclose any assessment of its impacts on nature, including biodiversity, in its supply chain. Additionally, it does not disclose any assessment of its dependencies on nature within its own operations or those of its upstream business relationships.

Key areas and species
The company does not disclose key species or areas important for biodiversity affected by its operations or suppliers. It has an opportunity to increase its transparency.

Ecosystem conversion and restoration
No evidence was found regarding the company’s efforts to avoid ecosystem conversion, including deforestation, or promote restoration. The company has an opportunity to develop a strategy and publicly report on specific, time-bound targets.

Resource exploitation and circularity
While the company provides some relevant information on its material footprint, no evidence that it discloses a breakdown of its group-wide inputs according to an international standard could be found in the public domain. Astellas Pharma does not report quantitatively on its group-wide circularity performance. Additionally, the company conducts soil contamination assessments, but no evidence that the it has implemented measures to improve soil health based on the results of the assessment, nor a target to improve soil health in its production or sourcing practices was found.

Water
Astellas Pharma demonstrates it is reducing water withdrawal in its own operations. Although it has set target on enhancing water resource productivity, the indicator does not translate to an absolute reduction of water withdrawal. The company does not report how much water is withdrawn for its own operations in water-stressed areas. The company does not engage with suppliers to reduce water withdrawal. Although the company mentions its investment in reducing and discloses its processes for managing and monitoring water discharges, it provides no further details on what specific measures have been taken to reduce water quality pressures. However, it regularly reports on water pollution. while not disclosing targets to reduce water pollution. The company does not disclose a commitment to respect the right to water. The company does not disclose its processes for implementing preventive and corrective action plans for identified specific risks to the right to water and sanitation in its own operations.

Solid and air pollution
Although the company discloses its management of chemical substances, it is unclear with regard to its measures to reduce the production of hazardous substances. The company does not disclose a commitment to avoid developing or marketing new chemicals or products with SVHC (substance of very high concern) properties. Although the company discloses its measures to treat and manage hazardous waste, it is unclear regarding its measures to reduce the production of such waste. No evidence that the company reduces plastic use and waste in its own operations was found. Although the company reports the amount of plastic and paper containers and packaging generated, it is unclear with the proportions directed from or to disposal. The company reports regularly on air quality parameters of emissions of harmful air pollutants. The company does not report time-bound targets to reduce air pollutants across the most material parts of its value chain.

GHG emissions
The company is reducing its scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions. The company has a time-bound target to reduce its scope 1 and 2 emissions. The company reports progress against its scope 1 and 2 emissions target. No evidence that the company reduces its scope 3 emissions was found. The company has a time-bound target to reduce its scope 3 emissions. The company does not report progress against its scope 3 emissions target. Although the company’s scope 3 target is aligned with the SBT Initiative, the company adopts a 2-degree trajectory instead of a 1.5-degree trajectory.

Invasive species
No evidence was found that the company identifies the activities that could lead to the introduction of invasive alien species in its value chain.

Safe, healthy, clean environment
The company does not disclose a commitment to respecting local communities’ right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment or to zero tolerance for acts of violence, threats, intimidation or judicial harassment committed against land and environmental rights defenders.

Indigenous Peoples’ and land rights
The company does not disclose a commitment to respecting Indigenous Peoples’ rights or land rights of local communities.

The company states that it does human rights impact assessment, however, no evidence of its assessment has been found. Further, it states that human and labour rights are its most material issue and describes the process of its materiality assessment, however, a materiality assessment is not sufficient for a human rights risk assessment and the company does not describe the process(es) to identify its human rights risks and impacts in specific locations or activities covering its own operations. The company describes the process for identifying human rights risks and impacts in its business relationships. The company discloses its human rights risks which it has identified as a part of its human rights impact assessment, however, it does not describe its process for assessing its human rights risks and also does not disclose what it considers to be its salient human rights issue. The company discloses the result of human rights risks from its internal and external hotlines, however, there is no evidence that the company publicly discloses the results of its assessments, which may be aggregated across its operations and locations. The company states that it has set up internal and external hotlines and conducting training sessions for employees to address human rights and fair labor matters, however, there is no evidence the company discloses what it considers to be its salient human rights risks. The company discloses the risks its considers to be its critical risk and also discloses how it plans to mitigate these. However, these are not company’s salient human rights risks. Further, the company discloses that it did not find any salient human right risks in its operations. While the company discloses the categories of stakeholders it engages with generally on sustainability issues, it is not clear if these stakeholders are those whose human rights have been or may be affected by its activities. No evidence that the company provides examples of its engagement with stakeholders whose human rights have been or may be affected by its activities was found.

The company has a publicly available policy statement which shows it is committed to respecting the health and safety of workers. The company has a publicly available policy statement which shows it expects its suppliers to commit to respecting the health and safety of their workers. The company has an opportunity to disclose a time-bound target for paying all workers a living wage or that it has achieved paying all workers a living wage. The company has an opportunity to describe how it determines a living wage for the regions where it operates. The company discloses that it supports the workers right to freedom of association and collective bargaining, however, there is no evidence that the company discloses the proportion of its total direct operations workforce covered by collective bargaining agreements. While the company states that it encourages its suppliers to respect employees’ right to freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, it has an opportunity to describe how it works to support the practices of its suppliers in relation to those.

The company discloses a global tax strategy. The company takes steps to identify and address bribery and corruption. The company includes anti-bribery and anti-corruption clauses in its contracts with direct business relationships. In a public policy statement, the company discloses its approach to lobbying and political engagement. No evidence that the company has a publicly available policy statement that specifies that it does not make political contributions was found.