Global healthcare company Novo Nordisk has reached its RE100 ambition of using only renewable electricity in all of its global production facilities.
Novo Nordisk joined RE100, the global corporate renewable energy initiative led by the Climate Group in partnership with CDP in 2015. The company made a commitment that by 2020, Novo Nordisk production plants all over the world would be powered by renewable electricity.
Henrik Wulff, EVP, Product Supply, said in 2015: "By investing in local renewable energy projects, we will reduce our own environmental impact while at the same time helping to drive technology development that will make renewable energy more efficient and more affordable".
Celebrating their RE100 achievement, Novo Nordisk is now pursuing a new target of achieving zero CO2 emissions from all operations and transport by 2030. The goal is part of the ambitious 'Circular for Zero' environmental strategy with the ultimate aim of making Novo Nordisk a company that has zero environmental impact. The strategy is seeing Novo Nordisk take steps to minimise consumption and turn waste into resources, designing and producing products that can be recovered and re-used and collaborating with suppliers to embed circularity in its supply chain.
"More than 30 million people use our medicines and now they can do so knowing that they're produced using renewable electricity," said Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen, president and CEO, Novo Nordisk. "By committing to achieve zero emissions across our operations and transport by 2030 and by applying a circular mindset across our entire business, we are working towards a day when we will be able to say that Novo Nordisk is a company with zero environmental impact."
In addition to the zero emissions target, the Circular for Zero strategy commits the company to a significant shift towards circular thinking within three focus areas:
1. Circular company:
Novo Nordisk will continue to reduce the environmental footprint of its production by working towards the elimination of waste sent to landfill and zero loss of water, energy and resources.
2. Circular supply:
Novo Nordisk will reduce environmental impact across its supply chain by collaborating with suppliers to encourage circular business practices and by increasing procurement of recycled and carbon-neutral materials and resources.
3. Circular products:
Novo Nordisk will upgrade existing products and design new products based on circular principles and work towards a sustainable solution for the reuse and recycling of products.
To help achieve its new ambitious 2030 target, Novo Nordisk has partnered with The Climate Group's EV100 initiative, which has a mission to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) and make electric transport the new normal by 2030.
Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen, president and CEO, Novo Nordisk added, "One should not be afraid of setting a target you don't know how to achieve, because that is the first step towards achieving it".
