Environmental Sustainability Policy, Management and Goals
In addition to our Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) Policy, Medtronic has an Environmental Sustainability Policy that articulates our view of responsible environmental management. This policy calls for us to:
- conserve natural resources;
- promote energy efficiency;
- eliminate waste;
- reduce emissions associated with climate change; and
- develop and implement specific requirements for new facility construction, existing facility modification, and equipment selection that will reduce our impact on the environment.
Medtronic also has EHS standards that provide direction for EHS management systems throughout the organization and guidelines for EHS integration into business systems, such as product design, manufacturing, and facility modifications.
EHS Management
A Senior Management EHS Committee and EHS Council manage issues across Medtronic’s global organization. These groups provide input and approval regarding EHS strategies, compliance oversight, performance metrics, and issues resolution. Our businesses are accountable for maintaining compliance with applicable EHS regulations and company policy and meeting business-specific EHS performance goals.
In addition to inspections by external regulatory agencies, Medtronic conducts internal audits as an integral part of our compliance efforts.
Long-term Goals
Our Environmental Sustainability Policy requires Medtronic to develop long-term environmental goals. In 2008, we announced a five-year plan to achieve the following goals for the end of fiscal year 2013, each of which is normalized to revenue and compared to fiscal year 2007:
- reduce volatile organic compound (VOC) air emissions by 10 percent;
- reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent;
- reduce water use by 10 percent; and
- reduce regulated and non-regulated waste by five percent.