UK pharma is going green
pharmafile | January 8, 2007 | News story | Sales and Marketing |Â Â Â
With 2007 predicted to be the warmest year on record, the pressure is on for companies worldwide to 'go green'.
Pharma is pledging to do its bit to cut carbon emissions, and GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer are two UK companies which have set up new eco-friendly initiatives in an effort to help reduce global warming.
GSK cut its energy bill by 12.5% between 2001 and 2005 by identifying unnecessary heat loss, reducing the amount of high voltage electricity and replacing traditional 'gas guzzling' office cars with greener models.
So far, it is the only UK pharma company to be recognised in an official energy-saving award scheme.
The company was a finalist in the 2006 UK National Energy Efficiency Awards, alongside Sainsbury's and Rolls Royce; beaten eventually in the Large Business section by BSkyB, which was the overall energy champion.
GSK's Brentwood office also runs a cycling incentive scheme, in which employees are awarded points each time they cycle to work. These points are converted into vouchers to purchase bike parts and a 'bike doctor' is on site to carry out repairs.
Pfizer has implemented a carbon management programme to minimise CO2 emissions and has installed a steam turbo generator at its Sandwich site to increase energy efficiency by up to 4%.
This year, it intends to continue its policy of energy efficiency by reviewing the environmental performance of its car fleet and to improve further its recycling programme throughout the company.
It provides shuttle-bus services for employees, contractors and visitors to its headquarters – and even provides a 'financial incentive' (thought to be around £5 a day) to encourage employees to leave their cars at home.
A spokeswoman said: "At the moment, figures indicate that more than 40% of staff are currently travelling 'green' to work."
She added: "Although travel is still essential for many face-to-face meetings, we have made significant investment in state-of-art videoconferencing facilities. This maintains some of the benefits of personal interaction, while reducing the need to travel."
All personal waste bins at Pfizer have been removed and replaced with recycle points. The spokeswoman said early indications showed that 60% of personal waste was now being recycled.
However, not all British pharma is taking on the green message. A spokesman for Eli Lilly said the company had "nothing" in place to help reduce global warming.
Last year, the Department of Health received nearly £62,000 from the Carbon Trust, a private company set up by the government to push forward the transition to a low-carbon economy. It is using the money to cut down on carbon deposits in NHS buildings.
