Climate Change Data

Vestergaard

Climate Impact & Sustainability Data (2018, 2022)

Reporting Period: 2018

Environmental Metrics

ESG Focus Areas

  • Public Health
  • Water Access
  • Food Security
  • Environmental Stewardship
  • Social Responsibility
  • Governance

Environmental Achievements

  • Reduced waste of polyethylene yarns by continuously improving extrusion lines
  • Reduced hazardous waste by 50% through better control of the impregnation process
  • Eliminated the use of 224,000 plastic bags for LifeStraw products (approximately 3 tons)
  • Reduced electrical consumption by 30% through increased machine efficiency and worker training
  • Improved efficiency of wastewater treatment from the compounding line through implementation of bio-treatment

Social Achievements

  • Provided safe water to over 2 million children through the LifeStraw give back program
  • Opened a 12-bed maternity ward in western Kenya
  • Provided support to Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh
  • Donated 60,000 ZeroFly Tiny Traps to a consortium working to eliminate sleeping sickness by 2020
  • Provided over 38 million LifeStraw Guinea worm filters to The Carter Center for eradication of the disease

Governance Achievements

  • Maintained SA8000:2014 accreditation at manufacturing sites
  • Conducted extensive employee training on chemical safety, labor safety, hygiene, and first aid
  • Received high grades from WHO PQ Audit
  • Implemented human resource management software to ensure accurate implementation of social management practices

Climate Goals & Targets

Long-term Goals:
  • Not disclosed
Medium-term Goals:
  • Switch entire supply for key donors and partners to affordable PBO and next generation PermaNet nets only within five years
Short-term Goals:
  • Scale up production capacity for new products within five years
  • Launch a high throughput emergency LifeStraw purifier with an option for heavy metals reduction by 2020

Environmental Challenges

  • Rise in malaria cases and pyrethroid resistance threatening the efficacy of LLINs
  • Need for consistent standards around the quality of LLINs
  • Ensuring equitable access to effective malaria prevention tools
Mitigation Strategies
  • Advocating for the accelerated deployment of effective prevention tools
  • Scaling up production of PermaNet 3.0 LLINs with increased efficacy against insecticide resistance
  • Working with stakeholders to form coalitions and raise awareness

Supply Chain Management

Responsible Procurement
  • SA8000:2014 accreditation for manufacturing sites
  • Tier 1 & Tier 2 supplier training on OHS standards

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: UN Global Compact

Certifications: SA8000:2014

UN Sustainable Development Goals

  • Multiple UN SDGs (report mentions contribution to over half of the 17 goals)

Vestergaard's products contribute to various SDGs, including those related to health, water, and poverty reduction.

Sustainable Products & Innovation

  • LifeStraw Home water filter
  • PermaNet 3.0 LLINs
  • LifeStraw Flex Gravity Filter

Reporting Period: 2022

Environmental Metrics

ESG Focus Areas

  • Public Health
  • Social Impact
  • Sustainable Supply Chains

Social Achievements

  • Three hundred million people sleep under Vestergaard bed nets every night.
  • Development of PermaNet® 2.0, the first long-lasting insecticidal net (LLIN) deployed at scale in the early 2000s.
  • Successful large-scale deployment of piperonyl butoxide long-lasting insecticidal nets (PBO LLINs) to combat pyrethroid-resistant mosquitoes.

Climate Goals & Targets

Environmental Challenges

  • Malaria remains a significant global health challenge, with 627,000 deaths in 2021.
  • Climate change and vector resistance to insecticides hinder progress.
  • Funding challenges in achieving universal coverage with more effective (and costly) mosquito nets.
  • Logistical challenges in ensuring equitable access through mass campaign distributions.
  • Short contract timescales (1-3 years) hinder long-term investment and innovation.
  • Lack of strategic supply collaboration and partnership approach to planning, procurement, and distribution of mosquito nets.
Mitigation Strategies
  • Advocating for strategic supply collaboration and long-term partnerships to drive investment, accelerate innovation, and deliver lower unit costs.
  • Introducing PermaNet® Dual, a dual active-ingredient net, to address mosquito resistance.
  • Calling for a new model to accelerate innovation and establish long-term engagement with innovative suppliers to support equitable access.

Supply Chain Management

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

UN Sustainable Development Goals

  • SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

Vestergaard's mosquito nets contribute to reducing malaria incidence and mortality, aligning with SDG 3.

Sustainable Products & Innovation

  • PermaNet® 2.0
  • PBO LLINs
  • PermaNet® Dual