The Almac Group is a global leader in providing a range of expert services and support across the drug development life cycle. Being a responsible business has always been ingrained in our culture at Almac. ESG is key to how we do business and is of growing importance for our clients, our people and our potential hires.
Embracing ESG as a business imperative at Almac has been crucial to driving our sustainability goals forward, particularly in the past 24 months.
From our perspective, organisations must continue to keep sustainability at the forefront of their operations to reach net zero by the required 2050. This level of commitment is what will drive how far a company is willing to go to reach their goals. It’s imperative to ask the tough questions such as: how far are you willing to disrupt your status quo to make an impact? How far are you willing to challenge a valuable and cost-effective supplier that’s negatively impacting your third-party emissions to reach your goals?
Almac is the sponsor of the Excellence in ESG category
As we support our partners in delivering life-saving medicines across the globe, we are conscious of our impact on the environment. As part of our journey to net zero, we are actively working on our transition to renewable energy.
A key step forward took place earlier in 2024 as we announced a virtual power purchase agreement (vPPA) with a wind farm to provide electricity for our Craigavon headquarters. This represents a major step forward in reaching our energy reduction target.
We also continue to track and report on other key environmental indicators such as waste and water. We are proud to report that we are now zero waste to landfill in the facilities that represent 80% of our employee base.
At Almac, we have already seen the benefits of embracing rigorous measurement, transparency and collaboration. Our engagement with external verification bodies including SBTi has been welcomed by our clients and has led to significant lessons learned and efficiencies in our own operations. Moreover, data sharing with our clients and suppliers across our own supply chain has shaped and advanced our approach.
A further core objective is to support, develop and reward our global workforce of over 7,500 people. Almac Group recently announced that each employee will receive an additional day of leave. This Diversity Day can be used to celebrate diversity, to volunteer or take part in community work.
We strive to make a positive and lasting contribution to the communities in which we operate through our Global Community Service Committee, our Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) outreach programmes and the philanthropy of the McClay Foundation.
Belfast Telegraph Business Awards 2025
During the last year, Almac Group has reached more than 17,000 post-primary pupils through in-person and virtual outreach programmes and has supported 60 different charities through global philanthropy.
From my position on Almac’s board, I have been encouraged by the progress that we are making on our sustainability journey and remain confident that our commitment to working with our clients and suppliers is what will help us achieve our own goal of reaching net zero by 2045.
Moving forward, we all have a lot to learn from each other and, working together, we can make significant strides towards a more sustainable future.
We are pleased to support the ESG category at this year’s Belfast Telegraph Business Awards, to recognise a company that has demonstrated excellence in this area with an ambitious ESG agenda right at the heart of their organisation.
I imagine there will be a wealth of strong entries from local businesses showcasing a drive towards more sustainable business practices.
To enter the Belfast Telegraph Business Awards, go to www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/businessawards/enter