Initiation of new reforestation projects in Brazil, India, Vietnam, Ghana and Rwanda, in addition to existing projects such as Australia and Indonesia
AstraZeneca, the global biopharmaceutical company has announced a $400 million investment in its forest program (AZ Forest), committing to plant 200 million trees by 2030 and ensuring that they Can survive for a long time. This investment will be used in new or expanded projects in countries such as Brazil, India, Vietnam, Ghana and Rwanda to help AstraZeneca’s climate action, restore natural ecology, promote biodiversity, and enhance ecological and community resilience. Covering more than 100,000 hectares of land worldwide.
AstraZeneca’s forest plan is an important part of AstraZeneca’s core sustainable development strategy – “Ambition Zero Carbon”. AstraZeneca is working towards deep decarbonization in line with the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. The company is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) including operations and team production by 98%* by 2026 , and halve the carbon footprint of the entire industry chain by 2030, committing to an absolute reduction of 90% emissions and achieve science-based net zero emissions by 2045 Through the plan, AstraZeneca aims to eliminate its residual emissions in the atmosphere from 2030.
The AstraZeneca Forest Program is designed by AstraZeneca in collaboration with plantation experts, local communities and governments to restore forests in a natural way and promote agroforestry, protect and restore endangered species.
AstraZeneca Global CEO Pascal Soriot said: “The twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss are destroying the planet and harming human health. Through the AstraZeneca Forest Programme, we work with local communities and ecological experts , large-scale reforestation and supports biodiversity, ensuring the survival of plants and animals and the sustainable development of people. AstraZeneca’s forest plan is based on science and will remove about 30 million tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in about 30 years.”
As part of the company’s reforestation commitment, AstraZeneca, together with European Forest Institute (EFI) and Circular Bioeconomy Alliance (CBA), has launched the first-ever science-based collaborative framework for sustainable, resilient, locally appropriate regeneration of landscapes. The CBA principles of landform regeneration will enable circular bioeconomy value chains and restore biodiversity. The AstraZeneca Forest Program also contributes to the World Economic Forum’s 1t.org initiative, a public-private partnership to protect, restore and plant 1 trillion trees by 2030.
In 2020, AstraZeneca proposed the Forest Plan project for the first time and committed to planting and maintaining more than 50 million trees by the end of 2025, demonstrating the solid connection between healthy people and a healthy planet . Subsequently, tree planting efforts have sprung up in Australia, Indonesia, Ghana, the United Kingdom, the United States and France, and more than 300 tree species have now been planted, restoring biodiversity and natural habitats.
Building on ongoing projects in Australia, Indonesia, Ghana, the UK, the US and France, the AstraZeneca Forest Program will include new and expanded projects in Africa, Asia and South America:
- India: AstraZeneca Forest Program has entered into a new 30-year partnership with Earthbanc and local partners in Meghalaya state in northeastern India. The project is expected to plant 64 million trees, mostly a diverse mix of species. The project is expected to be the largest of CBA’s Living Labs for Nature, People and Planet, supporting agricultural livelihoods while restoring the region’s degraded biodiversity.
- Vietnam: AstraZeneca has pledged to restore Vietnam’s forests and landscapes by planting 22.5 million trees on at least 30,500 hectares. This new investment will help biodiversity thrive, provide sustainable livelihoods for more than 17,000 smallholder farmers, improve diets and nutrition, and protect soil and water resources.
- Australia: Working with Greening Australia and One Tree Planted, more than 4 million trees were planted (out of a total plan of 25 million, including 260 native tree species), supporting vulnerable and endangered wildlife species.
- Indonesia: In partnership with One Tree Planted and Trees4Trees, more than 3 million trees have been planted, and more than 13,000 farmers have chosen to pursue agroforestry by 2022.
