Pharmaceutical and microbial testing company- Charles River Laboratories happens to be now operating all of its international branches with completely 100% renewable electricity as of Q1 of 2024.
It is worth noting that the UK-based company went on to reach this sustainability milestone quite ahead of its set date. Apparently, in 2020, Charles River went on to become one of the first 200 members of RE100, which happens to be an initiative of global corporate renewable energy.
As part of this initiative, Charles River went on to commit to functioning on 100% renewable electricity across the world by 2030. With the feat that Charles River has gone on to achieve that stands in sync with the RE100’s standardized reporting criteria, it has now joined a small group of companies.
In order to achieve this green goal as far as renewable electricity is concerned, the company had to make the following efforts:
It went ahead and executed two crucial virtual power purchase agreements in Europe as well as the US.
In 2020, it went on to initiate a 15-year contract with Derive Energy for a 102 MW solar vPPA that is based in Texas, which, as of January 2023, has gone on to offer 100% of the company’s North American electric power needs with clean and renewable energy.
Also in 2023, the company’s 12-year-old, 30-MW wind power vPPA went on to become live which happens to be a partnership with Repsol, which is based out of Spain and is a multi-energy company. This output goes on to cover Charles River’s overall European electricity load.
It has also collaborated with leading organizations in order to drive the adoption of green energy solutions.
In 2022, Charles River went on to get recognized by the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership as the leader as far as green electricity use is concerned. In 2023, the company, as a matter of fact, joined the Renewable Thermal Collaborative, which is a global coalition of companies, governments, and institutions aimed at scaling up renewable energy when it comes to heating and cooling.
Charles River, in addition to this, also went on to sponsor Energise, which is a programme that is powered by Schneider Electric so as to amp-up the increased access to renewable energy when it comes to pharmaceutical supply chains.
The company has gone on to invest USD 13.5 million in sustainability-centric projects by way of Charles River Sustainability Capital Fund.
Right from 2020-2023, over a period of 3 years, Charles River has gone ahead and funded more than 100 projects across the world that decrease its environmental footprint and have moved towards energy conservation as well as GHG reduction.
GHG emissions are being reduced from its facilities prominently
As of 2023 end, Charles River attained a 37% in GHG emissions- Scope 1 & Scope 2 from its facilities.
Due to an increase to 100% renewable electricity in 2024, the company is now aiming for a 45% decrease by year-end, thereby making significant progress towards its objective of a 50% decrease by 2030. The chairman, president and CEO of Charles River, James Foster, remarked that in their company they happen to be guided by their need to create healthier lives, which, as a matter of fact, goes beyond science since healthy life begins with a healthy planet. He added that the announcement that has taken place indeed marks a milestone as far as their commitment to supporting sustainable business practices is concerned and is driving a marked change for their partners, clients, communities, and, of course, the planet.
