There are many paths to health and wellness. Many are complicated, while some are more straightforward. Most are personal, but the path we’re taking today unites us all.

Fullscript is now a certified carbon-neutral organization, neutralizing our carbon footprint from January 1st, 2020 onwards. It’s a decision inspired by the thousands of people who start their wellness journeys every day, and today, we start one of our own.

The need to be better

The scientific community agrees that greenhouse gas emissions are changing our climate at a catastrophic speed, threatening our very existence. As an organization whose purpose is to help people get better, we can’t ignore what science is telling us.

In 2013, the U.S. healthcare industry was responsible for 9% to 10% of the nation’s greenhouse gases, and if healthcare were a country, it’d rank thirteenth in the world for emissions. Everything from medical facilities and vehicles to the production of medication and medical devices contributes to healthcare’s massive carbon footprint. It’s causing heat waves, disease, water contamination, and air pollution, and without clean air to breathe, safe drinking water, and quality food, everyone’s wellness suffers. There’s an undeniable connection between climate change and wellness, and it’s our responsibility to commit to a kind of change that supports everyone’s health.

What’s measured is managed

With the help of Carbonzero, we’ve estimated our carbon footprint for 2020 will be approximately 3400 tCO2e — roughly equivalent to driving your family sedan 22,869 miles every day for a year. In early 2021, Carbonzero will complete and confirm Fullscript’s 2020 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory, and moving forward, we’ll be measuring and reporting our carbon footprint annually to maintain transparency and accountability.

Emissions come from various sources at Fullscript. Breaking them down gives us a clear sightline into where we need to improve.

We’re proud to be investing in high quality, certified offsets through Carbonzero and UPS, starting with investments in North American afforestation to reforest unused farmland. And though this is worth celebrating, we know it’s not enough. Carbon neutrality is only the first step in our sustainability journey.

Our goal is to become more sustainable year-over-year. We’re revisiting and reinventing our practices to implement renewable ways to power our operations and use more sustainable materials in our supply chain. Like integrative medicine, we believe in prevention and collaboration. We encourage our practitioners, patients, and peers to share the ideas they want to transform into action.

Our climate commitment

We’ve split our climate commitment into two phases: one phase to measure and offset our carbon footprint and another to reduce it.

Phase One

Phase Two

As sustainability breakthroughs continue to occur, we know this journey will never end. For that, we’re grateful. We are dedicated to being more sustainable and refuse to force patients and practitioners to choose between their health and their planet.

Let’s make change happen together

We invite all of you to join us on our journey and encourage you to share your ideas while sharing ours. We want to push the healthcare industry forward in a more sustainable direction. Climate change is more significant than any individual, and it’s time we put aside our differences and work together to take better care of the planet we all call home.

There are many paths to wellness, but our one great unifier is our planet. From the ground we stand on to the water we drink, and the air we breathe, our world needs to be healthy for any of us to live well. We can’t stand for health and wellness if we aren’t willing to stand up and protect our home.

We’re all-in. Are you?