Bristol Myers Squibb

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

Solid and air pollution
The company is reducing the production of hazardous substances.

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

Sustainability strategy and accountability
Bristol Myers Squibb discloses its process for identifying and prioritising its most relevant sustainability impacts as well as the outcome of this process. While it has set time-bound targets related to environment, health, and human resources, these do not cover its most material elements of the value chain. The company reports consistently against all its targets. No evidence was found that Bristol Myers Squibb 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 discloses the main group of stakeholders it engages with and provides engagement examples, however it is not clear when the engagement took place or whether it is an ongoing process.

Lobbying
The company discloses a list of trade associations of which it is a member wherever it operates. Nevertheless, it does not disclose a clear and detailed framework for assessing alignment of its trade associations with nature-positive policies. The company does not report on any potential misalignments between the lobbying activities of its trade associations and nature-positive policies.

Impact and dependencies assessment
The company has not holistically assessed its impacts or how it depends on nature, including biodiversity. It has an opportunity to start such an assessment across its value chains, focused on quantification of its impacts or dependencies.

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
No evidence was found regarding the company’s efforts to work towards a circular economy or which organisms it exploits. The company has an opportunity to develop a strategy and publicly report on specific, time-bound targets. The company does not disclose efforts to improve soil health.

Water
Bristol Myers Squibb demonstrates it is reducing water withdrawal in its own operations, still it has not disclosed a time-bound target to reduce water withdrawal across its own operations. Additionally, it does not report how much water is withdrawn for its own operations in water-stressed areas, nor engage with suppliers to reduce water withdrawal. The company reports a decrease in water pollution and while it monitors water quality, it provides insufficient evidence regarding the monitoring process. Moreover, it does not regularly report on water pollution or disclose targets to reduce water pollution. Bristol Myers Squibb 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
The company does not disclose a commitment to avoid developing or marketing new chemicals or products with SVHC (substance of very high concern) properties. The company is reducing the production of hazardous waste. No evidence that the company reduces plastic use and waste in its own operations was found. The company does not report on the amount of plastic waste generated and proportions directed from or to disposal. The company does not report 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 greenhouse gas emissions across all scopes and has a time-bound target to reduce covering scopes 1 through 3, against which it reports on progress. However, no evidence that the company’s target is aligned with a 1.5-degree trajectory was found.

Invasive species
The company has not identified any activities that could lead to the introduction of invasive alien species in its own operations.

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.

Bristol Myers Squibb has an opportunity to describe a comprehensive process for identifying its human rights risks and impacts across all its activities, especially through its business relationships. It has an opportunity to describe a process for assessing the human rights risks it has identified and to disclose what it considers to be its salient human rights issues. A description of this process would include how relevant factors are considered, such as geographical, economic and social factors. Additionally, no evidence was found that the company has a global system to act on its salient human rights issues. 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.

Bristol Myers Squibb has a publicly available policy statement which shows it is committed to respecting the health and safety of workers. It has a publicly available policy statement which shows it expects its suppliers to commit to respecting the health and safety of their workers. Additionally, 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 and to describe how it determines a living wage for the regions where it operates. No evidence that the company discloses the proportion of its total direct operations workforce covered by collective bargaining agreements was found. 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.

Bristol Myers Squibb discloses a tax strategy, but it is not applicable to all its operations. It also takes steps to identify and address bribery and corruption. The company has a code of conduct of conduct in which it prohibits bribery and corruption, and through its modern slavery statement it requires its suppliers to comply with it, with any breach of the code of conduct resulting in termination of contracts. However, additional clarity is needed regarding whether this clause only applies to human rights breaches or if it covers anti-bribery and corruption too. 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.