Sustainable transport and the transition to electric vehicles

Globally, road transport is a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Limiting global temperature increases to avoid the worst impacts of climate change and tackling air pollution, requires a transformation of the transport sector. Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) have a key role to play.
 

As part of our Ambition Zero Carbon programme, we’re rapidly transitioning our company-owned and leased vehicle fleet to battery electric vehicles (BEVs) wherever technically feasible. By the end of 2025, 81.5% of our total owned and leased fleet were BEVs, representing more than 18,000 sustainable vehicles. We’ve also purchased Energy Attribute certificates (EACs) which verify that an equivalent amount of renewable energy has been fed into the grid to cover the energy required for vehicle charging. We've now achieved a full transition to BEVs in 37 markets, including all EU countries and Turkey.

Ambition Zero Carbon

We are taking a science-led approach to decarbonising our operations and fleet , aiming to reduce Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 98% by 2026 (from a 2015 baseline).

Bringing us closer to patients and healthcare professionals in a sustainable way

Our vehicles are principally used by our sales force, who act as the primary point of contact between the company and healthcare professionals. Face-to-face contact is key to communicating in-depth product knowledge and understanding the clinical needs of patients.

Calling for action together with EV100

As an early member of the Climate Group’s EV100 initiative, our goal is to maximise BEV adoption across our global fleet. Electrification helps to cut tailpipe emissions, improve air quality and reduce environmental impact. Despite challenges in some markets —including limited vehicle availability and charging infrastructure — we continue to drive transition across our global fleet. Our ongoing efforts to decarbonise vehicle transportation demonstrate our dedication to a healthier, more sustainable future. 

Driving a successful transition

Our operations span over 60 countries across six continents, where vehicle availability, infrastructure and policy landscapes vary significantly. Several factors have enabled our BEV transition: clear science-based targets supported by senior leadership, knowledge-sharing across markets, strong local ownership, and effective change management.

Pillars for a successful transition:

1. Bottom up and top-down approach, assessing market readiness to set the right level of ambition across markets
2. Global car fleet policy, driving global alignment
3. Rigorous process to assess non-BEV additions to the fleet, with regular review to monitor market readiness

Challenges to global BEV adoption

While we continue to transition globally, some markets are experiencing challenges with the supply of vehicles and the availability of charging infrastructure.

Clear and stable incentives are needed to facilitate long-term planning and accelerate the BEV transition.

Decarbonising transport

Under Ambition Zero Carbon, we are also looking at business travel and logistics, exploring ways to travel less, travel more sustainably, and decarbonise freight.

Employees are encouraged to take the train instead of the plane, reduce one-day trips and fly sustainably with recommended airlines.

We exceeded our end of 2025 target for 50% of our suppliers by spend covering upstream transportation and distribution and business travel, to have science-based targets (SBTs) by the end of 2025 – including airline partners.

To reduce our logistics footprint we are switching from air to sea freight.

In Ireland, Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease, and DHL Global have started Ireland's first sustainable fuel deliveries for the pharmaceutical industry using Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (HVO). The partnership aims to reduce annual GHG emissions from road freight for Alexion medicines from Ireland travelling across Europe, by up to 90%.