A sustainability analysis of the companies that look after our health & wellbeing
How the top 4 listed healthcare companies stack up in the sustainability stakes.
There's nothing like a global pandemic to bring health and well-being to the forefront of people’s minds. In this analysis, we look at the top 4 listed healthcare companies here in Australia to measure the pulse of their sustainable impact.
![20200827-SustainabilityScorecard-HealthWellbeing[Infographic].jpg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9d1ad4f50ef632b97b3c3a/1599700280430-HBSDI97361251NPJ59MG/20200827-SustainabilityScorecard-HealthWellbeing%5BInfographic%5D.jpg)
Sonic Healthcare the leader of a very strong pack.
There's nothing like a global pandemic to bring health and wellbeing to the forefront of people’s minds.
With COVID-19 spreading the world over, the healthcare industry has had to step up to meet demand. From the hunt for a vaccine, to testing, to supplying masks and hand sanitizer, we have expected a lot from our healthcare companies of late.
We also expect these companies to act responsibly and be good sustainability actors.
In this analysis we look at the top 4 listed healthcare companies here in Australia to measure the pulse of their sustainable impact.
Australia’s health and wellbeing industry scores higher in sustainability than the Sustainable Platform database (of over 17,000 globally listed companies across all industries).
The leader in the group is Sonic Healthcare Ltd, laboratory medicine/pathology, radiology/diagnostic imaging specialists, with an SDG score of 96.
Closely following Sonic is nutritional supplement manufacturer Blackmores Ltd with an SDG score of 95. Just behind is biotechnology giant CSL Ltd, with an SDG score of 93.
Finally, also well above the Sustainable Platform database average, is health and beauty company Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, with an SDG score of 84.
Only two of the companies analysed have controversial industry exposure. Both Sonic Healthcare and Blackmores have a small exposure to fossil fuels, mainly coal and oil.
The sector's largest contribution to sustainability by far is unsurprisingly to the basic needs of health, but also to communication as well as knowledge and education.
Because of this, all of these companies score highly on SDG Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being. The companies also contribute somewhat to SDG Goals 1: No Poverty, and 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.
*All SDG score and data are provided by Sustainable Platform based on data as at 30 July 2020.
Top contributing goals
Of all the 17 SDGs, the top 4 listed insurance groups operating in Australia contribute most to these below goals:
SDG 1: No Poverty
SDG 3: Good Health & Well-being
SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
Find out more about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Sustainable Platform is a sustainability information service only to institutional investors and doesn’t provide general or personal financial advice.