Waters’ 2020 Sustainability Report Highlights Continued Progress of its Environmental, Social and Governance Initiatives
December 22 2020 - 8:00AM
Business Wire
Waters also named to Newsweek’s “America’s Most
Responsible Companies” 2021 List, ranked #19 overall
Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) today released its 2020
Sustainability Report, highlighting achievements and progress of
the company’s sustainable operations, projects and initiatives.
Waters’ latest sustainability report covers activities from 2019
and key highlights from 2020. In addition, the report tracks the
important progress of Waters' 2025 sustainability goals set forth
in late 2019.
“Our team is demonstrating that through our collective actions
we can make meaningful impacts, even during the most challenging
periods in our history,” said Dr. Udit Batra, Waters President and
CEO. “From investing in STEM education, to reimagining recyclable
product packaging, to our COVID-19 Innovation Response Team, Waters
is working to make the world safer and healthier for generations to
come. I am looking forward to further championing Waters’
sustainability efforts.”
Waters’ commitment to sustainability is derived from its focus
on advancing scientific progress to enhance human health and
well-being. Informed by the results of a comprehensive Materiality
Assessment in 2018, Waters has since initiated multiple projects
across five key areas where it can drive sustainability throughout
its global operations. These formed Waters’ 2025 sustainability
goals and its commitment to report annual progress against
them.
Waters has continued advancing efforts to reduce the
environmental impact of its operations by pursuing targeted
pollution prevention, waste reduction and conservation of natural
resources. Progress in and communication of these efforts has
generated notice, with Waters being recently named to “America’s
Most Responsible Companies” 2021 list as #3 in the Healthcare and
Life Sciences category and #19 out of 400 companies overall.
Below is an update on the five areas of focus that support
Waters’ 2025 sustainability goals and overall mission to Deliver
Benefit:
1. Cultivating and Advancing Our Innovation
Ecosystem:
- Over the past four years, Waters has increased its investment
in R&D by 21%, yielding innovative new products designed to
improve human health and well-being, such as the BioAccord™ LC-MS
System, SELECT SERIES Cyclic™ IMS and Synapt™ XS.
- At the onset of the pandemic, Waters created the COVID-19
Innovation Response Team, reaching out to nearly 200 organizations
to bring together researchers with diverse scientific backgrounds
and perspectives from around the world to help accelerate the pace
of innovation of new diagnostics, therapies and vaccines.
- Through its sustainable packaging efforts, Waters identified
new ways to introduce more recyclable and recycled materials into
our packaging designs. This effort has resulted in a 49% increase
in recycled materials used for packaging our performance
maintenance kits, and an 11% decrease in the shipping weight of the
packaging for two high-volume chromatography instruments.
2. Reducing Our Environmental Impact:
- To minimize the impact of our energy use, Waters purchases
renewable energy at its manufacturing facility in Wexford, Ireland
and purchases low-carbon energy at several other facilities.
Renewable and/or low-carbon electricity accounted for approximately
27% of Waters’ total electricity usage in 2019.
3. Enhancing Our Sustainable Supply Chain:
- Through effective continuity planning, Waters maintained a
steady supply of products to our customers throughout 2020. This
allowed Waters to provide uninterrupted support to those developing
important research, analysis and breakthroughs to combat
COVID-19.
- Waters has committed to a supply chain sustainability program
that will harmonize our supplier code of conduct with those of key
customers, and which will introduce key performance indicators to
drive improved supplier behavior over time.
4. Leading by Example in our Employee Development &
Engagement:
- In 2019, Waters launched three new Employee Circles with a
commitment to fostering an inclusive workplace where diversity in
all forms can thrive. The Pride (LGBTQ+), Veterans and
Multicultural Employee Circles joined our existing Gender Diversity
Network.
- With a priority emphasis on protecting our people during the
COVID-19 pandemic, Waters utilized global pulse surveys to assess
employee satisfaction and needs. Insights from respondents led to
several key actions including implementation of new health and
well-being benefits, increased communication and safety
protocols.
5. Nurturing A Culture of Health, Safety and
Well-being:
- In 2019 and 2020, Waters implemented Health, Safety and
Environmental (HSE) data management software to drive
standardization of HSE data collection practices around the
world.
Additional Resources:
- Read Waters’ complete 2020 Sustainability Report on
Waters.com
- See Waters ranking on “America’s Most Responsible Companies”
2021 list
- Follow and connect with Waters via LinkedIn, Twitter and
Facebook
About Waters Corporation
Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT), the world's leading specialty
measurement company, has pioneered chromatography, mass
spectrometry, and thermal analysis innovations serving the life,
materials, and food sciences for more than 60 years. With more than
7,000 employees worldwide, Waters operates directly in 35
countries, including 15 manufacturing facilities, and with products
available in more than 100 countries.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201222005055/en/
Kevin Kempskie Corporate Communications Waters Corporation
PR@waters.com
Waters (NYSE:WAT)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2024 to May 2024
Waters (NYSE:WAT)
Historical Stock Chart
From May 2023 to May 2024