Stericycle has announced its first greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal, plus a goal to reduce safety incidents, as part of its environmental, social and governance strategy.
In its latest sustainability report, Stericycle said it will continue monitoring several metrics related to scope 1 and 2 emissions while also aiming to achieve net zero GHG emissions by 2050. The report also offered new details on how it plans to improve its safety record, be more transparent in its environmental justice initiatives and continue working on other diversity and social targets. The report covers the time frame of January 2022 to June 2023.
“We are early in our ESG journey but believe that by taking a pragmatic and disciplined approach, we will be able to affect significant, positive change while delivering meaningful shareholder value,” said CEO Cindy Miller in the report.
New goal: Achieve net zero scope 1 and scope 2 GHG emissions by 2050
It’s the first time Stericycle has set a greenhouse gas emissions target since the company first reported baseline emissions in its 2021 report, reflecting 2020 numbers. In that 2021 report, the company announced it would track ongoing greenhouse gas emissions, but had not included a goal in that announcement. Stericycle aims to achieve net zero scope 1 and 2 emissions for its UK businesses by 2045.
Scope 1 emissions were 414,485 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2022, down from 424,109 in 2021. Scope 2 emissions were 31,398 MT CO2e, down from 34,938 the previous year.
New goal: Achieve a total recordable incident rate of less than 3.0 by 2035
Stericycle aims to achieve an overall 30% improvement in incident rates. Stericycle reported a TRIR of 4.25 in 2022, an improvement from 4.82 in 2021. In 2022, Stericycle expanded its new driver onboarding program to add a month-long personalized safety and mentorship program. All drivers now also take an annual defensive driving course. Stericycle also said it conducted several safety audits between January 2022 and June 2023.
Other target updates:
- Target: Track Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas intensity in MT CO2e, per U.S. dollar of revenue: Stericycle reported a rate of 0.000169, down from 0.000184 reported in 2021.
- Target: Track fleet emission intensity ratio, a measurement of greenhouse gasses emitted in metric kg CO2e per each stop a driver makes to service a customer along their route. Stericycle reported a ratio of 11.60, down slightly from 11.64 in 2021. In North America, employees drove 2.3 million miles less than in 2022, which Stericycle says is a reduction of 3,000 MT CO2e. Launching “strategically located” facilities in California and New Jersey will help further reduce miles traveled, it said.
- Target: Track percentage of waste managed with recycling, WTE or an “alternate use.” That amount was 47% in 2022, unchanged from the previous year. In 2022, Stericycle used a WTE process to manage about 39% of incinerated waste in the United States and about 64% globally.
Social metrics, updates and plans:
- Civil rights audit: Spurred by a shareholder vote calling for more transparency around the company’s DEI practices and operations, Stericycle underwent an independent civil rights audit in 2022 and developed an environmental justice task force “aimed at better understanding the communities where we operate, particularly those that are considered historically overburdened.”
- EJ in planning and operations: EJ considerations are now integrated into its siting and zoning process. It also now uses the U.S. EPA’s EJ Screen tool to detail data about its operations in overburdened communities. About 30% of its U.S. facilities are in low-income areas, and 26% of U.S. facilities are in communities with a “high population of persons of color,” the company says.
- Minimum wage: On April 1, 2023, Stericycle said it raised the minimum wage to $16 an hour for non-union employees in the U.S. and $16.65 an hour for non-union employees in Canada.
- Supplier diversity: In 2022, Stericycle says it increased the diversity of its suppliers by over 30%.
