Owens & Minor has published its annual Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) report for calendar year 2022. The report employs universally recognized ESG frameworks, including the Global Reporting Initiative and the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, to benchmark the company’s progress in four key focus areas: promoting environmental stewardship, caring for customers and communities, operating responsibly and empowering teammates.
“Growing sustainably and operating responsibly has long been part of Owens & Minor’s DNA, and we continue to prioritize activities that will positively impact our customers, communities and teammates across the continuum of healthcare,” said Edward A. Pesicka, President and Chief Executive Officer, Owens & Minor. “We look forward to building on this legacy and further deepening the reach and impact of our ESG efforts across the organization.”
Key highlights from the 2022 report include:
- Strengthened commitment to emissions reduction and climate resilience by signing the White House/Health and Human Services (HHS) Health Sector Climate Pledge and establishing an emissions reductions working group to oversee our progress.
- Received International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 certification in recognition of the successful implementation of a water treatment system at the HALYARD* Safeskin Scientific & Medical Nitrile Glove facility in Thailand. This multistage system ensures that water released from the facility is cleaner than when first received.
- Achieved substantial companywide waste reduction through recycling programs in our manufacturing facilities, office buildings, distribution centers, and through our extensive reconditioning of durable medical equipment.
- Launched a packaging waste reduction and recycling initiative to enhance the amount of recycled content used in our packaging and to implement consumer-friendly labelling to support easier recycling.
- Aided humanitarian relief efforts in Ukraine by coordinating donations of $500,000 worth of essential medical-grade personal protective equipment from Owens & Minor distribution centers around the country.
- Strengthened our commitment to our communities through teammate volunteerism and contributions from The Owens & Minor Foundation, which named Ronald McDonald House Charities® as its first-ever flagship charity partner and also made a meaningful contribution to the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics to support its programming to include health equity scholarship opportunities.
- Championed supplier diversity by expanding Owens & Minor’s Diverse Supplier Mentoring program to additional suppliers, including Katt Medical and Soule Medical, and continued collaborating with long-standing supplier partner Caracal Corporation on private-label nitrile gloves.
- Supported teammates and their ability to serve by leveraging the OMPower Partner program, which facilitates problem solving and teaches skills to drive continuous improvement; the program has now certified 60 teammates and is actively training over 100 others.
Since last year’s report, Owens & Minor has expanded its ESG governance to ensure that a broader range of perspectives from across the company are represented in its ESG governance structure, including leadership from its Patient Direct business segment.
To learn more about Owens & Minor’s ESG commitments and strategy and to view our ESG reports from previous years, visit: investors.owens-minor.com/esg/.