Novartis in Slovenia continues to invest in the environment, encouraging the suppliers to be environmentally responsible and caring for the safety of the employees

»Striving to expand responsible business practice, we increasingly involve our suppliers in the activities related to health, safety and the environment, in addition to our associates. Our experts do not only assess the suppliers, but also give advice, recommendations and promote a high environmental and safety culture,« adds Ljoljo. In order to minimize the risks of workplace injuries related to the service providers at Novartis sites in Slovenia, the number of safety rounds and trainings have been increased, for example.

Also this year, Novartis’ environmental investments remain focused on the introduction of   state-of-the-art technological and process solutions to minimize the environmental impact and increase the efficient use of energy and water and reduce  waste disposal. Last year, Lek, which is part of Novartis, invested EUR 3.3 million in environmental protection, or EUR 21.6 million over the past five years. With the repeated rise in the quantitative production growth (due to the new and more demanding products, the volume is expressed in different units of measurement, not only in kilograms), some environmental performance indicators have decreased. However, the environmental impact remains below regulatory limits and within some even stricter Novartis limitations.

Lek's total amount of waste generated increased by more than 6% with increased production, of which 74% was biodegradable waste handed over for further energy recovery. The increase is due to growth and changes in production in Lendava and Mengeš, while the Prevalje and Ljubljana sites reduced the amount of waste by 9 and 7%, respectively. The 16% increase in production volume in Mengeš contributed to a 13% higher total amount of hazardous waste produced, mainly non-halogenated waste organic solvents. The amount of hazardous waste was significantly reduced by the Ljubljana and Lendava sites (by 13 and 67%, respectively). 

"Despite the production growth, we maintained total energy consumption at a similar level as the year before. To improve energy efficiency, we implemented several projects that saved 44.4 TJ of energy and thus 3,173 tons of CO₂, which is equivalent to 158,650 newly planted trees.* We were also successful with measures to reduce water consumption and reduced its total use by almost 2%, which is enough for the average year-round supply of 911 people in Slovenia,” said Gašper Antičevič, Head Technical Services at Lek Mengeš.

Within the Novartis strategy of responsible environmental management, Lek has a certified ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management System. It is the only company in Slovenia with four sites included in the European Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) and the only pharmaceutical company in country to participate in this scheme. Lek also has a certified system for the management of health and safety at work in accordance with the ISO 45001:2018 standard. The business compliance has been proven by a number of inspections as well as national and international audits that discovered no significant deviations with regard to health, safety and environment. 

In the last year, the associates received even more training and education (8% more training hours per associate) and actively proposed the improvement of work processes. Out of 510 submitted ideas in the Th!nk Novartis application, as many as 370 have been put into practice, generating savings of EUR 6.8 million. Among Lek associates were also many volunteers who for the fifteenth time in a row took part at the Community Partnership Day, as Lek devotes its attention to non-profit organisations and underprivileged population groups such as children and the elderly from socially disadvantages backgrounds.

Lek, which is part of Novartis, has for the eleventh consecutive year publicly disclosed the review of its environmental impacts and the tenth consecutive sustainability report presenting its indirect economic, social and environmental impacts. The report is prepared in accordance with the international EMAS criteria, POR initiative, GRI GS standard and in relation to the sustainable development goals of the United Nations. It is available online at: https://lek.si/en/corporate-responsibility/reporting/. 

* Trees absorb CO₂, therefore reducing electrical energy is equivalent to planting new trees that would be needed to absorb CO₂, assuming that one tree absorbs 20 kg of CO₂ per year.

** Source: https://www.stat.si/StatWeb/Field/Index/13/113, Statistical office of the RS, data for 2018.