Sustainability

IDA Foundation is proud to announce that we have been awarded with a Bronze Medal in its first assessment of EcoVadis, an internationally recognised sustainability ratings provider. Even though this was IDA Foundation’s first assessment, our overall score of 63/100 points puts IDA in the 81st percentile of all companies assessed by EcoVadis and also places it among the best-ranking companies in its industry segment (Wholesale).

In the current landscape where global supply chains play a pivotal role, IDA Foundation is taking steps to minimise its environmental impact while continuing its crucial mission of providing medicines and supplies to global health partners in low- and middle-income countries. A noteworthy initiative is the collaboration with CocoPallet, a startup aiming to disrupt supply chains by replacing traditional wooden pallets with an innovative, circular alternative.

Email, reports, data - in an era defined by technological process, we have witnessed a rapid increase in our reliance on digital devices and platforms, and in turn, an alarming increase in the global digital footprint. Inspired by last Saturday's National Clean Up Day, IDA launched a digital clean up challenge in our offices.

We are proud to share that we recently passed our ISO 14001 verification audit without any non-conformities. We are looking forward to continue our sustainability journey and to keep building sustainable value chains together with our dedicated partners.

This World Environment Day, we're excited to share some of our recent efforts towards making a positive impact.  Achieving our ISO-14001 certification in 2022, demonstrates our dedication and also gives us a solid framework to minimizing environmental impacts and finding innovative solutions. Below, we dive into some of our recent activities and collaborative projects.

In our pursuit of global health impact, IDA Foundation (IDA) acknowledges the importance of responsible travel practices. In line with our (ISO14001-certified) Environmental Management System, IDA has looked at all of its environmental impacts and identified ways in which we can minimise our footprint.

World Earth Day is celebrated annually on the 22nd of April, to raise awareness and appreciation for the earth’s environment. The day is dedicated to promoting the importance of protecting our planet and taking action to ensure a sustainable future for all.

This Saturday is Digital Cleanup Day (March 18). Digital Cleanup Day is an annual event that encourages people to declutter their digital lives and promote sustainability. With the rise of technology, we have become increasingly reliant on digital devices and platforms, leading to a surge in electronic waste (e-waste) and a growing global digital carbon footprint.

Today is International Women’s Day! For this special day, we organised a specific ‘Future of..’ session to discuss gender equality, as well as diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). During these ‘Future of..’ sessions within IDA, we address different topics about our working culture, projects or partnerships. We take the opportunity to invite guest speakers and to learn more about other departments and ongoing projects.

From 6-18 November, global leaders are gathering in Sharm El-Sheikh, to discuss climate change; one of the largest issues the world is currently facing. WHO foresees that between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause around 250.000 additional deaths per year from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and heat stress only.