Our sustainability commitments
Guided by our 2030 ambitions, we are committed to driving and promoting sustainable and responsible practices across all activities.
We aim to be recognized for exercising good governance, promoting diversity and inclusion, and encouraging climate transition.
This is where we dedicate our attention and detail our progress and commitments. Learn more and find cases below.
Exercising good governance
Promoting diversity and inclusion
Encouraging climate transition
Exercising good governance
We operate with integrity and transparency, upholding strong governance and ethical standards across all our activities. These standards are foundational to our role as owner, investor and philanthropist, and they are essential for achieving our ambitions and fulfilling our purpose of paving the way for curing skin diseases.
Our commitments
Increase transparency of the LEO Foundation’s societal impact.
Support LEO Pharma in preparing to meet public market requirements for good governance and ESG.
Key initiatives
- Our Code of Conduct, including clauses on anti-bribery, anti-money laundering, financial controls, whistleblower scheme and an open and honest culture.
- We have implemented a set of principles for engaged ownership of LEO Pharma reflecting our commitment to promoting good governance, transparency and sustainability throughout the company.
- Grants and awards are made subject to the recipients’ acknowledgement of our Code of Conduct.
- We have defined a set of seven impact indicators, which we apply to monitor the societal impact of our research grants and awards.
- All our financial investments are covered by our ESG policy. Capital is allocated through index funds or manager mandates, and all asset managers are required to align with the Foundation’s ESG policy and to actively engage with portfolio companies on material issues.
- We have developed a set of key tax principles that apply to the LEO Foundation and our subsidiaries, including LEO Holding and LEO Pharma, and we are a signatory to the Danish Tax Code of Conduct.
- Conflict of Interest policy in place.
- We fully support and comply with the Recommendations on foundation governance issued by the Danish Committee on Foundation Governance.
Promoting diversity and inclusion
People are our most valuable asset. We are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, and to ensuring health, wellbeing and respect for human rights. We believe these commitments foster a motivating and engaged culture that underpins our ambitions and drives our purpose of paving the way for curing skin diseases.
Our commitments
Build diverse Board, leadership, and scientific review panel teams. We strive to ensure at least 40% of the underrepresented gender.
Act on promoting gender balance and reducing unconscious bias to support an inclusive research environment within health science.
Key initiatives
- LEO Foundation affiliated persons must acknowledge the Code of Conduct, which sets standards for diversity, inclusion, non-discrimination, harassment, labor rights and data protection.
- Dedicated Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policy defines principles and expectations for fostering DEI.
- Employee handbook maintains a focus on employee matters and provides guidance and rules on various relevant topics, such as workplace environment and professional development.
- Whistleblower scheme in place.
- Benchmarking of remuneration.
- Focus on building diverse Board, leadership and scientific review panels.
- Monitoring gender balance across activities.
- Targets for achieving gender equality: We strive to ensure at least 40% of the underrepresented gender. Progress includes:
- 43% of the Foundation’s charter-appointed Board members are women.
- 40% of the Foundation’s employees at management level are women.
Encouraging climate transition
Climate and environmental responsibility are priorities in our own operations and across our value chain, particularly in relation to our financial investments and LEO Pharma’s global operations. We are committed to embedding climate considerations into our decisions and to building a clear, data-driven understanding of our carbon footprint to mitigate risks, reduce negative impacts and advance our ambitions and purpose of paving the way for curing skin diseases.
Our commitments
Further develop investment management activities in support of the climate transition.
Key initiatives
- LEO Foundation-affiliated persons must acknowledge the Code of Conduct, which sets expectations for environmental compliance and promoting reduce/reuse/recycle practices.
- All our financial investments are covered by our ESG policy. Capital is allocated through index funds or manager mandates, with all asset managers required to align with the Foundation’s ESG policy and to actively engage with portfolio companies on critical issues.
- Passive listed equity portfolio in developed and emerging markets aligned with the EU’s climate transition benchmark.
- Reduction of the Foundation’s internal footprint through sustainable procurement practices and daily awareness to minimize negative impacts.
- We have developed a CO₂e baseline for the Foundation’s direct and indirect emissions to inform our climate work.
- LEO Pharma is committed to both near- and long-term targets for reducing CO₂e emissions, in alignment with the Paris Agreement and climate science recommendations to limit global warming to 1.5°C.