Environment, Health and Safety
Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) considerations are an integrated part of our every day work. Our main concerns include reducing our consumption of resources, such as water, energy and chemicals, and reducing atmospheric emissions from the production process, and also preventing any contact with chemicals.
Our dedicated EHS department encourages the environmental, health and safety consciousness of our staff, by ensuring that each member has the necessary skills and knowledge to minimise environmental impact and secure a healthy and safe environment while on the job.
We are committed to having net zero emissions across our entire value chain by 2045, which is anchored in our zero environmental impact strategy called Circular for Zero.
As 2045 approaches, we have an interim target to reach zero CO2 emissions from own operation and transport by 2030 – an important milestone in achieving our greater net zero commitment.
In 2018 we achieved our goal of sourcing 100% renewable electricity and our next step is to transform our business processes to eliminate the environmental footprint from our operation.
We are DS/EN ISO 14001 as well as DS/EN ISO 45001 certified.
Facts & figures
ESG Report
Environmental policy
The most significant impacts on the environment of our activities are: emission of CO2, atmospheric emission of organic solvents used in manufacturing processes, disposal of hazardous waste – mainly chemical residues from production and laboratories. In addition, we have a number of outdoor facilities such as ventilation systems, cooling systems and pumps, all of which brings us close to our granted noise limits during evenings and nights. Finally, there is the risk of major accidents related to the handling and storage of hazardous chemicals.
Acting responsibly
We fully realize that the operation of a chemical company may affect the environment. Environmental considerations are therefore integrated in our daily operations, and we find it important to reduce our environmental impact to a minimum.
- We reduce our waste generation, noise impact and atmospheric emissions.
- We reduce our CO2 emission.
- We operate in a safe way by carrying out risk assessments on all activities.
Contributing to sustainability
We must all act responsibly to attain sustainable development. Novo Nordisk Pharmatech A/S is a company in constant development. We work at developing new products and processes. While doing so, we are dedicated to taking part in reducing the environmental impacts.
- We will continue to systematically minimize the environmental impact when we develop new products and processes.
- We will continue to encourage our customers to co-operate in the development of environmentally sound products and services.
Ensuring clear communication
Open, trustworthy and timely stakeholder communication is a prerequisite for our work. This applies to external communication with neighbours, authorities, customers and suppliers, as well as to internal communication with our employees.
- We regularly report on environmental efforts and performance.
- We maintain an open and trustworthy dialogue with our stakeholders.
- We encourage staff environmental awareness to ensure an environmentally sound culture.
Occupational safety policy
It is our ambition at Novo Nordisk Pharmatech A/S to be at all times a safe, attractive and modern workplace, which proactively and continuously is improving its working environment.
We are a specialized chemical company, manufacturing products with high documentation requirements. We develop and manufacture quaternary ammonium compounds mainly for use in the medicinal and veterinary sectors, as well as for cosmetics and disinfection. Other products such as substituted silica gels are also prepared, for use in the manufacturing process of Novo Nordisk A/S’ strategic products.
For a majority of employees, the main occupational safety concern is the handling of chemicals in connection with production, analysis and development. Working at Novo Nordisk Pharmatech also includes operation and maintenance activities, where the most significant safety concern is the risk for body injuries. Other employees have administrative occupations, where they ensure that the company lives up to the continuously increasing standards within quality, environment, working environment, safety and energy. Their main occupational safety concerns are typical for office workers.
Novo Nordisk Pharmatech DARES to be a safe working place
- No Disabilities
- No Accidents
- No Recklessness
- No Exposition
- No Stress
At Novo Nordisk Pharmatech we have the following goals:
- We will insure adequate planning of our work
- We will design adequate working environments
- We will think “working environment” before we act – think twice
- We will encourage personal development
- We will replace dangerous chemicals where we can
- We will handle dangerous chemicals in a safe way
- We will bring down the risks by using Work Place Evaluations and risk analyses
- We will analyse accidents and situations leading up to accidents
- We will increase awareness around our stress policy
We will create a safe work place by using the best technologies. We will respect regulations and other requirements that we adhere to, and ensure that occupational safety is being handled by our management systems. Through company management, all employees will take responsibility for themselves and others through a positive involvement in safety tasks, because safety is an important part of our culture.
Well-being
Novo Nordisk Pharmatech has worked intensively to improve and maintain a sustainable approach to the well-being of our employees.
In the past few years, Novo Nordisk Pharmatech has performed yearly training of managers and employees in preventing stress and maintaining well-being, implemented dialogue-based assessment of stress symptoms and continuous follow up.
Fighting sedentary work
To fight the risk of sedentary work Novo Nordisk Pharmatech has implemented the Novo Nordisk way of doing Power Brakes: NovoGizers.
Novo Nordisk Pharmatech promotes this to be done up til twice a day & NovoGizer Captains with this interest are being offered training and new inputs to keep the NovoGizers in focus and up to date.
In terms of absence due to illness, we have in 2022 continued the intensive work we initiated in 2019, where employees with complex long-term illnesses were supported with back-to-work plans and/or best possible alternative solutions in close collaboration with local municipalities, medical doctors and Novo Nordisk social counsellors. Throughout the last couple of years, we have manage to maintain a low level of absence due to illness around 3,3%
We have changed our performance-management approach to focus on behaviour through continuous dialogue and feedback between manager and employee. Behavioural targets are designed from the Novo Nordisk Way and our Novo Nordisk Pharmatech United Culture, which has particular emphasis on strengthening our commercial mindset, our focus on simplicity and our ability to collaborate across departments
Triple bottom line
As a Novo Nordisk company, we work with the “Triple Bottom Line” principle, the CO2 Reduction program, and follow Novo Nordisk’s People Policy.
We strive to conduct our activities in a financially, environmentally and socially responsible way. This implies that any decision should always seek to balance three considerations:
- Is it economically viable?
- Is it socially responsible?
- And is it environmentally sound?
This principle ensures that decision-making balances financial growth with corporate responsibility, short-term gains with long-term profitability and shareholder return with other stakeholder interests.
Circular for zero
Novo Nordisk Pharmatech is committed to having net zero emissions across our entire value chain by 2045, which is anchored in Novo Nordisk’s zero environmental impact strategy called Circular for Zero. As 2045 approaches, we have an interim target of having zero CO2 emissions from own operation and transportation by 2030. In 2018 we achieved our goal of sourcing 100% renewable electricity and our next step is to transform our business processes to eliminate the environmental footprint from our operation, which we due by carrying out awareness and idea-generating workshops and by establishing local Circular for Zero targets with rolling 5 years targets.
In 2020, Novo Nordisk Pharmatech has mapped our own and our suppliers’ CO2 emissions. The CO2 emissions are followed closely. By 2030, Novo Nordisk Pharmatech will require that all of our supply must be based on 100% renewable power. Our Circular for Zero strategy challenges us to find new ways of doing things and to reshape our business to minimize consumption and waste. This has for example resulted in establishing electrical car-charging stations and having company owned electrical bikes, to give our employees sustainable commuting options. We have also replaced gas furnaces for heating with electrical heat pumps and installed solar panels on our Administration Building.
Read more about Novo Nordisk’s journey.
We are proud of this acknowledgement on our sustainability efforts and will continue the journey of being a trusted sustainable business partner.
EcoVadis 
Annual Report
