Environmental footprint

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Environmental footprint

Novo Nordisk has been focusing on its use of resources, emissions, waste and legal compliance since 1975. Even though environmental reporting, target-setting and improvement measures have for years been an integral way of how we do business, we are still able to reduce our environmental footprint. Going forward, more emphasis will be placed on pollution prevention through sustainable design of processes and products.

In the case of Novo Nordisk, the environmental impact of products is highest in the production phase, and the production of pharmaceuticals is resource-intensive, particularly in terms of water and energy.

The company's influence on the environmental impact of its activities decreases through the products' life cycle. Once the processes and products have been designed and validated, the interventions that can be carried out are minimal. It is therefore vital that environmental considerations are integrated into the development and design of new manufacturing processes and products.

Novo Nordisk Product Supply is well underway with implementing cLEAN® – an adapted LEAN manufacturing programme that aims at optimising process flow and increasing productivity. In other words, cLEAN® leads to better utilisation of production facilities, water, energy and raw materials, thereby reducing the environmental impacts per produced unit and making it possible to postpone expansion of production facilities. However, there is a limit to how much optimisation can achieve. This is why design of processes and products becomes fundamentally important.

See here for our environmental performance in 2008

Pollution prevention

Management of pollution through development, implementation and certification of management systems has become common practice in environmental management. In recent years, the debate has shifted from pollution management to pollution prevention. Greater emphasis is placed on preventing pollution through better design of the product, choice of sound raw materials and design of processes. While eco-efficiency can deliver incremental improvements in use of resources and environmental impact, major improvements in resource efficiency can only be achieved through sustainable design of our processes and products. Focusing on resource use reduces the risk of resource depletion at one end and pollution at the other end. This results in lower costs for both business and society.

Environmentally sound products and processes

A focus group (EnviroProcess) is working to promote the integration of environmental issues into the design of drug-manufacturing processes and also the development and design of new devices. The EnviroProcess group has been established with the aim of developing an environmental assessment toolbox for all drug manufacturing-related R&D projects. Development and implementation of the toolbox started in 2006 and will continue in 2008. The main areas addressed in the toolbox are energy, water, chemicals and waste.

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