Healthy people need a healthy planet
Reducing our impact and restoring nature
Our health and the health of the planet are deeply connected.
We’re continuing to take action to help create a net zero, climate-resilient, and circular health system, delivering the best quality of care for people in a changing climate.
Our areas of focus
Investing in nature is a foundational driver of good health. Our approach focuses on restoring and protecting nature, reducing our impact on the environment and driving sustainable healthcare.
We are committed to intentional activities that protect and restore nature and positively impact water and air quality to create healthy environments that benefit human health. These initiatives are aimed at helping safeguard biodiversity and recovering natural ecosystems that help communities adapt to and build resilience to climate change.
Bupa remains committed to becoming Net Zero and achieving our Science-Based Targets (SBT). We continue to work towards reducing our environmental impact and improving healthcare. We will do this by focusing on areas where we can make the biggest difference for people and the planet.
Our sustainable healthcare approach focuses on practical solutions to reduce the environmental impact of healthcare and supporting others to do the same. In 2024, we launched the 'Single-use Switch' initiative to replace single-use items across our provision businesses with more sustainable alternatives, aiming to save millions of items from landfills or inc
We also released three sustainable healthcare educational films aimed at healthcare professionals, highlighting the relationship between people and planet health and showcasing actionable solutions to reduce healthcare’s environmental impact.
Planet health: Alice’s story
Climate campaigner Alice Eady talks about her love of nature, the interconnection between people and the planet, and the power of storytelling in championing nature and biodiversity.
Our healthier planetambition KPI
75,000 hectares of nature restored to support people's health
75K
hectares
Reducing our impactNet zero by 2040
Net zero by 2040
By 2040, we aim to be a net zero business that delivers a healthy future for people and planet. We are in the process of developing a climate transition plan for our business based on the recommendations and guidance provided by the Transition Plan Taskforce (TPT) Disclosure Framework.
We will do this by:
- reducing the impact of our own operations, and supporting others to do the same, including many of our suppliers and network of healthcare providers
- transforming our products and services to reduce environmental impact
- innovating to deliver healthcare sustainably
- championing circularity – including work on reducing waste and increasing re-use of materials
As we do this, we’ll always keep our focus on the health and wellbeing of our customers.
Our targets
By 2040, we aim to be a net zero business across all three emissions scopes. We also aim to become net zero across scopes 1 and 2 by end 2030.
To support our net zero ambition, we have therefore set 1.5°C aligned near-term SBTs across all three emissions scopes that have been validated by the SBTi.
The Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) encourages companies to set science-based target in line with the Paris Agreement.
We also have an interim end 2025 target to reduce our scope 1 and 2 (market-based) emissions across our global operations by at least 40% by end 2025 from 2019 baseline.
Our validated science-based targets are:
- reduce scope 1 and 2 (market-based) emissions across our global operations by at least 46.2% by end 2030 from 2019 baseline
- reduce scope 3 emissions by at least 63% by 2034 from 2019 baseline
- align our portfolio of corporate bonds, loans and listed equities to 1.5°C by 2040
This supports our ambition to be net zero by 2040.
Reducing our direct emissions
We continue to make good progress in decarbonising our scope 1 and 2 (market-based) GHG emissions, achieving a reduction of 58% from our 2019 baseline. This reduction currently exceeds our end 2025 and 2030 targets. During 2024, we maintained our commitment to securing renewable electricity, moving from 91% in 2023 to 94% in 2024, and remaining at 100% in our APAC Market Unit. In 2024, Spain, Türkiye and Mexico also secured 100% renewable energy.
Reducing our indirect emissions
Responsible investment
Helping to reduce emissions through responsible investment is an essential part of our sustainability strategy.
During 2024, we updated our Sustainable Investing Framework. The aim of the new framework is to continue management of ESG risk by incorporating sustainability factors in investment decisions, while improving the positive impact of our portfolios on society and the environment.
We will prioritise impact investments focused on climate, health and nature, creating quantifiable positive outcomes while balancing the need to maintain diversification and optimise return on capital.
Sustainable procurement
We’re working towards ensuring our suppliers and other partners (including healthcare providers) are also committing to reducing their own emissions.
During 2024, we continued to expand our sustainable procurement programme, increasing the number of suppliers that we are targeting for change, and expanding our efforts to reduce the climate emissions from the supply chain across our Market Units.
We have targets for our top global suppliers to increase the percentage of our top 100 suppliers aligned with our science-based targets and net zero ambition.
One of our global initiatives is to work with our top technology suppliers to ensure that they also share our net zero ambitions. In 2024, 73% of global technology spend with suppliers aligned to our sustainability goals (up from 63% in 2023).
Healthcare’s impact on the planet and what we can do about it
Find out more about how we're focusing on practical solutions to reduce the environmental impact of healthcare and supporting others to do the same.
