Our actions as humans have had a detrimental impact on the environment; natural resources are in decline and air and water pollution are affecting flora, fauna and our own health.
We know we can’t solve these problems overnight, but we are committed to actively doing our bit. Our Environment, Health & Safety department (EHS) is responsible for ensuring that we use our resources in a sustainable manner to avoid waste where possible. By using our environmental and energy management system in accordance with ISO 14001 and ISO 50001, we ensure that we adhere to all relevant legal regulations.
As a matter of course, we collect, measure and analyse the energy consumption of our production sites and use these data to implement energy efficiency projects.
hours a year1
8,000
kWh of electricity²
100,000
kWh³
4,380,000
1 In 2016, we built a combined heat-and-power station in Aachen operating 8,000 hours a year and generating electricity (16 GWh) and heat (16.5 GWh) that is then used in production and heating systems.
² A photovoltaic plant has been in operation on the roof of one of our buildings in Aachen since the end of 2012. It has generated approximately 100,000 kWh of electricity so far.
³ Energy equivalent that is saved by the use of groundwater under our Swiss production site in order to cool down the API production. It is returned to the underground stream without any contamination.
² A photovoltaic plant has been in operation on the roof of one of our buildings in Aachen since the end of 2012. It has generated approximately 100,000 kWh of electricity so far.
³ Energy equivalent that is saved by the use of groundwater under our Swiss production site in order to cool down the API production. It is returned to the underground stream without any contamination.
Handling of effluents and waste
The reduction and safe handling of waste water and waste is part of our operations. Each production site has dedicated staff involved in the processes. In particular, the environmental-management system ensures that waste is sorted so that as much as possible is recycled, and disposal routes are in compliance with national legislations.
Efficiency1
92 %
Contamination²
0 %
Local waste disposal³
100 %
1 Efficiency of the recycling process for the solvent tetrahydrofuran THF on our Swiss site in 2015.
² In 2015, no significant spills or contaminations occurred at any of our five production sites.
³ In 2015, at all five production sites, 3,230 tons of hazardous waste was generated. All this waste was treated locally by licensed disposal companies. No waste was exported.