Bupa's chief sustainability and corporate affairs officer Roger Sharp says the COVID-19 pandemic has "truly brought home" the link between human health and that of the environment.
"As one people we benefit from the natural wonders and produce of our planet while simultaneously being susceptible to pandemics, food shortages and global warming when we don’t fiercely protect it," said Mr Sharp.
"We are seeing a mass realisation that these momentous challenges to life on earth are not isolated catastrophes but in fact localised manifestations of a global issue that threatens our very existence."
Mr Sharp said as a healthcare company Bupa understands the relationship between healthy people and a healthy planet. "This is why we are stepping up our efforts on sustainability and we know that small actions taken collectively across the world will make a big difference," he said, adding the company recently installed 36,000 energy-efficient LED lights in its aged care homes, prevented the creation of 1 million plastic cards annually by introducing digital health insurance membership cards and shifted to 100 per cent recyclable bags in our optical stores.
"We are also working on some more significant initiatives, involving our staff, customers and communities which will be implemented over the coming months," continued Mr Sharp.
Bupa is supporting The World Wide Fund for Nature’s Earth Hour initiative on Saturday 27 March.
"Along with homes and businesses around the world, we will turn off the lights in our corporate offices along with the prominent Bupa Cube in the lobby of our Melbourne headquarters," said Mr Sharp.
"It’s just an hour and it may be just a symbol, but we intend play to our part in raising awareness of climate change and taking meaningful action to better care for our people and planet into the future."