1st CSR Meeting Unither Pharmaceuticals

Unither’s CSR Strategy: Producing Healthcare Solutions While Caring for the Future

Unither Pharmaceuticals hosted its first global Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) webinar, marking a key milestone in the structuring and deployment of the Group’s sustainability strategy. This inaugural event provided an opportunity to present Unither’s CSR roadmap toward 2030, as well as the concrete actions already underway, with the ambition of embedding them sustainably over the long term.

A leadership-driven vision

The webinar was opened by Éric Goupil, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Unither Pharmaceuticals. He emphasized that CSR goes far beyond regulatory compliance and is, above all, a matter of deep-rooted conviction. Unither recognizes its responsibility not only toward its shareholders, but also toward its customers, employees, and the broader environment in which it operates.

Even at a modest scale globally, Unither considers it a duty to act, to measure its impacts, and to implement tangible actions in order to be a responsible industrial player. This commitment is embedded at the highest level of the Group’s strategic vision.

Éric Chesnel, Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer, then highlighted CSR as a true business opportunity. Customer expectations are evolving rapidly: environmental performance, carbon footprint, and eco-design are becoming decisive criteria when selecting an industrial partner. This shift calls for a transformation in relationships, moving away from a purely transactional model toward a partnership and co-development approach.

A rapidly evolving regulatory and market environment

Unither’s CSR strategy is designed in response to an increasingly demanding regulatory landscape, including the CSRD, the duty of vigilance, the PPWR regulation on packaging, and growing restrictions on substances such as PFAS. These frameworks reinforce requirements around traceability, eco-design, and impact reduction.

At the same time, hospital tenders will progressively integrate environmental criteria starting in 2026. In this context, Unither aims to support its customers by providing robust and reliable environmental data, particularly related to product life cycle indicators.

A CSR strategy built around four pillars

Unither’s CSR roadmap, summarized by the ambition “Producing healthcare solutions while caring,” is structured around four complementary pillars.

The Solutions pillar focuses on integrating CSR considerations from the R&D phase onward. This includes defining environmental and social indicators within proof-of-concept phases, developing a product environmental passport, and advancing a 3R roadmap (reduce, reuse, recycle), particularly for plastics and packaging.

The Plants pillar targets the reduction of the environmental footprint of industrial sites. Unither has set greenhouse gas emission reduction objectives by scope, with a 2020 baseline and a 2030 horizon, aligned with SBTi principles. The Group is also strengthening resource optimization efforts, particularly for energy and water, through the deployment of ISO 50001 certification and an objective of sourcing 100% renewable electricity from 2026 onward.

The People pillar places employee health and safety at the core of priorities, with objectives to reduce workplace accidents, reinforce HSE governance, and assess ISO 45001 certification. It also includes strong commitments to equal opportunities and continuous learning, supported by the development of structured training pathways at Group level.

The Community pillar aims to strengthen trust-based relationships with customers and suppliers, notably through a responsible purchasing policy and the integration of CSR criteria into supplier performance assessments. It also focuses on better communicating the societal benefits of Unither’s solutions, supported by data-driven studies.

Euroject®: a concrete example of eco-design

The Euroject® device provides a tangible illustration of Unither’s eco-design approach. Based on Blow-Fill-Seal technology for injectables, Euroject® is a recyclable mono-material solution, free from silicone and PFAS in the material. Its robustness reduces breakage risks during transport and eliminates certain energy-intensive industrial steps, such as glass washing.

Lighter than some alternative solutions, Euroject® contributes to lower transport-related carbon emissions. Process optimizations also enable reductions in water consumption and improved valorization of production waste.

Measuring impact and defining a carbon trajectory

Unither conducts an annual carbon footprint assessment, consolidated at Group level. In 2024, total emissions amounted to approximately 170,000 tons of CO₂ equivalent. The main contributors include packaging materials, selected industrial investments, raw materials, and energy consumption.

The Group is working along two trajectories toward 2030: one focused on scopes 1 and 2, and another based on economic intensity for scope 3. In parallel, a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach is being developed, with a proof of concept planned for 2026, followed by a gradual rollout across key solutions.

A long-term commitment

With a long-standing responsible DNA, Unither has taken a further step by formalizing a clear, ambitious, and measurable CSR strategy. The year 2026 will mark the operational deployment of this strategy across all Group sites.

The objective is to create long-term value, strengthen regulatory compliance and industrial performance, and support customers in meeting their own environmental obligations. Unither intends to renew this annual CSR meeting to transparently share progress and results over time.