ASTRAZENECA CANADA EMPLOYEES PITCH IN FOR LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND THE PLANET

Volunteer tree planting events in Mississauga and Calgary held around World Environment Day

MISSISSAUGA, ON, June 10, 2022 /CNW/ - AstraZeneca Canada is partnering with the City of Mississauga's ambitious One Million Trees initiative, which aims to plant one million trees in Mississauga by 2032. On the heels of World Environment Day, Mayor Bonnie Crombie joined more than 100 AstraZeneca Canada employees in Mississauga, Ontario to contribute to a greener, more sustainable future by planting and preserving trees in their community.

"I want to thank AstraZeneca for partnering with the City to help us reach our goal of planting a million new trees across Mississauga. Creating vibrant and robust green spaces is central in helping us realize our goal of building more complete and sustainable communities," said Mayor Bonnie Crombie. "By collaborating with our community partners to find ways to combat climate change while also supporting the local ecosystem, I know we can build a better, brighter future for the next generation."

"On World Environment Day and every day, it's important to recognize that the health of the planet is closely interconnected with the health of people and of society," said Carlo Mastrangelo, Head of Corporate Affairs & Sustainability at AstraZeneca Canada. "By pitching in to help conserve and enhance local forests, we are accelerating action against climate change, promoting biodiversity, and raising awareness of the value reforestation brings to society and human health."

Today's event, along with volunteer tree planting events held by AstraZeneca Canada last week in Mississauga and Calgary, Alberta have involved more than 250 employees from the company. In Calgary, the company is partnering with One Tree Planted, a non-profit organization dedicated to reforestation around the world. Both the City of Mississauga's One Million Trees initiative and One Tree Planted are focused on planting trees to help combat climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide (CO₂) and releasing oxygen back into the air. Trees also support a biodiverse environment, create habitats for wildlife, as well as enrich quality of life. The tree planting events also support AstraZeneca's global AZ Forest reforestation program, which aims to plant 50 million trees worldwide by 2025 by working with local governments and non-profit organizations.

AstraZeneca is committed to being a leader in sustainability and driving positive change beyond our company. This means using our capabilities and commitments to help tackle some of society's greatest challenges – from combatting climate change and fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, to driving equitable access to healthcare. 

About AstraZeneca Canada

AstraZeneca is a global, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical business with a focus on the discovery, development and commercialization medicines that transform lives. Our primary focus is on a few core therapy areas: Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolic (CVRM) disease; Oncology; Rare Disease; Respiratory & Immunology; and Vaccines & Immune Therapies. AstraZeneca operates in more than 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. In Canada, we employ roughly 1,200 employees across the country and our headquarters are located in Mississauga, Ontario. For more information, please visit the company's website at www.astrazeneca.ca.

SOURCE AstraZeneca Canada Inc.

Mary-Anne Cedrone, AstraZeneca Canada, E-mail: [email protected]