Johnson & Johnson

Sustainability strategy and accountability
Johnson & Johnson discloses its process for identifying and prioritising its most relevant sustainability impacts as well as the outcome of this process, in relation to its sustainability strategy. The company reports consistently against all its targets.

Stakeholder engagement
Johnson & Johnson discloses an overview of the issues raised during its stakeholder engagement activities. The company discloses how often and through which channels it engages with various stakeholder groups.

Lobbying
Johnson & Johnson discloses a list of trade associations of which it is a member wherever it operates.

Ecosystem conversion and restoration
Johnson & Johnson is committed to minimising its impact on deforestation associated with the sourcing of palm oil derivatives and timber-based products.

Water
Johnson & Johnson demonstrates it is reducing water withdrawal in its own operations. The company reports how much water is withdrawn for its own operations in water-stressed areas. The company engages with suppliers to reduce water withdrawal. The company reports how it depends on water withdrawal from water-stressed areas in its supply chain, and it has set a target with its suppliers to reduce withdrawal. The company reports a decrease in water pollution. The company discloses its processes for managing and monitoring discharge water quality, and it has a commitment to respect the right to water.

Solid and air pollution
Johnson & Johnson discloses the proportion of hazardous waste treated to reduce pollution compared to total waste, the hazardous waste diverted from disposal and the waste directed to disposal. The company reports some activities to reduce plastic use and waste in its own operations. It also reports regularly on air quality parameters of emissions of harmful air pollutants.

GHG emissions
Johnson & Johnson discloses its target to achieve carbon neutrality in its operations, going beyond the science-based target to reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 emissions 60% from 2016 levels by 2030, and it reports progress against the target. The company also discloses its target to reduce absolute upstream value chain (scope 3) emissions 20% from 2016 levels by 2030 and reports progress against the target. The company’s scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions reduction targets are aligned with a 1.5-degree trajectory.

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

Sustainability strategy and accountability
The company does not disclose group-wide targets on key sustainability topics for the most material parts of its value chain based on the SBTN Sectoral Materiality Tool. It does disclose its pay-out factor, which includes 30% of enterprise long-term strategic goals that cover ESG. However, it has an opportunity to disclose whether it 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.

Lobbying
The company does not disclose a clear and detailed framework for assessing alignment of its trade associations with nature-positive policies. Nor does it report (potential) misalignment between the lobbying activities of its trade associations and nature-positive policies.

Impact and dependencies assessment
The company does not disclose any assessment of its impacts on nature, including biodiversity, within its own operations. Nor does it disclose any assessment of its impacts on nature, including biodiversity, in its supply chain. The company does not disclose any assessment of its dependencies on nature within its own operations. Similarly, it does not disclose any assessment of dependencies on nature of its upstream business relationships.

Key areas and species
The company does not disclose the locations that are in or adjacent to areas important for biodiversity within its own operations. Nor does it disclose the locations of its suppliers that are in or adjacent to areas important for biodiversity. The company does not disclose species populations existing in or adjacent to its own locations or those of its suppliers. The company does not disclose the status according to national and international conservation lists of species identified in its own locations.

Ecosystem conversion and restoration
The company does not have a commitment to ensure zero conversion. The company does not disclose activities to achieve conversion-free supply chains, nor does it have time-bound targets to achieve conversion-free supply chains. The company does not disclose activities to minimise ecosystem conversion. The company is not committed to restoring ecosystems. The company does not disclose details and outcomes of ecosystem restoration projects in areas affected by its own operations or by its suppliers.

Resource exploitation and circularity
The company does not disclose its inputs, including its material footprint. It does not report quantitatively on its group-wide circularity performance. It does not disclose activities to improve soil health or agrobiodiversity in its production or sourcing practices, nor does it have a target to improve soil health in its production or sourcing practices.

Water
The company does not disclose a time-bound target to reduce water withdrawal across its own operations. It does not regularly report on water pollution or disclose targets to reduce water pollution. Neither does it 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 is not reducing the production of hazardous substances. It reports that it submits information about EU REACH substances of very high concern (SVHCs) in its finished products to the European Chemicals Agency’s Substances of Concern in Products database, in accordance with the EU Waste Framework Directive Article 9. However, it has an opportunity to explicitly commit to avoid developing or marketing new chemicals or products with SVHC properties. The company is not reducing the production of hazardous waste, nor is it reducing plastic use and waste in its own operations. The company does not report on the amount of plastic waste generated and proportions directed from or to disposal. Finally, it does not report time-bound targets to reduce air pollutants across the most material parts of its value chain.

GHG emissions
The company is not reducing its scope 3 emissions.

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

Safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment
The company is not committed to respecting local communities’ right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment. The company does not track its actual or potential negative impacts on the health of local communities. The company is not committed 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 respect Indigenous Peoples’ rights. Nor does it disclose its processes for identifying and recognising the rights of Indigenous Peoples when activities in its own operations may impact their rights, or describe how it obtains Indigenous Peoples’ free, prior and informed consent. The company does not disclose a commitment to respect ownership and use of land and natural resources and related legitimate tenure rights, as set out in the relevant part(s) of the VGGTs or the IFC Performance Standards. The company does not require its business relationships to have a process to identify legitimate tenure rightsholders, paying particular attention to vulnerable or marginalised tenure rightsholders, and to negotiate with them to provide adequate compensation.

The company describes the process for identifying its human rights risks and impacts in specific locations or activities covering its own operations. The company also describes the process for identifying human rights risks and impacts in its business relationships. Further, the company describes its process for assessing its human rights risks. However, it has an opportunity to disclose what it considers to be its salient human rights issues. The company states that it is committed to preventing and mitigating adverse impacts on human rights in its supply chain. However, it has an opportunity to describe the global system in place to act on all its salient human rights issues. There is no evidence that the company provides an example of the conclusions reached and actions taken or to be taken on at least one of its salient human rights issues as a result of assessment processes. 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. While the company provides general examples of engagement with stakeholders, it has an opportunity to clarify if these stakeholders are those whose human rights have been or may be affected by its activities.

The company has a publicly available policy statement which shows it is committed to respecting the health and safety of workers. The company also 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 discloses that it pays fair compensation to its employees, which is more than sufficient to maintain sustainable standard of living for its employees and their family. The company states that it has integrated a living wage assessment into its standard processes and conducts this analysis on a regular basis. However, it has an opportunity to describe how it determines a living wage for the regions where it operates. While the company states that it expects its suppliers to pay wages that are sufficient for workers and their families to fulfil their basic needs, it has an opportunity to disclose how it works to support the payment of a living wage by its suppliers. 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 this regard.

The company discloses a global tax strategy. It takes steps to identify and address bribery and corruption, and it 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. However, there is no evidence that the company has a publicly available policy statement that specifies that it does not make political contributions.