High investment in environmental sustainability, including machine learning, for energy savings

Lek has a long tradition of good energy management practices. However, price pressures on energy products and the expansion of the portfolio of energy-intensive, high value added medicines, both in development and in production, are intensifying the search for new ways to become more energy efficient. Machine learning is gradually being introduced into the analysis of how energy systems work.

The investments made have contributed to favorable trends in most environmental indicators and to Novartis' efforts to become carbon neutral by 2025. Overall energy consumption was reduced by almost one percent and active energy management saved 40,752 GJ of energy and prevented 3,456 t CO_2e from being released into the atmosphere. Overall greenhouse gas emissions fell by nearly 8%, supported by increased purchases of green energy at the Ljubljana site. Biodegradable waste accounted for 81% of the waste generated – 2% less than the previous year. Hazardous waste, which accounts for less than 8% of total waste, has also decreased significantly, by 34%. The trend reflects the increasing share of high value added products requiring less solvents and improved energy recovery from waste. The revised product portfolio is also the main reason for the 0.5% increase in water consumption.

In the past year, the Technical Research & Development Biologics Mengeš was one of the first Novartis sites to join the My Green Lab certification program. Together with a team of volunteer associates (Green Team Mengeš), they have implemented a number of improvements, including reducing the amount of chemicals and solvents used in drug development and the energy used to run the laboratory. From this year onwards, all Mengeš development laboratories will participate in the program, which is based on the principles of green chemistry and optimizing the use of natural resources, reagents, and logistics costs.

Lek associates received an average of 83.6 hours of training, or about a fifth (21%) more than in the previous year, including on sustainable aspects of business. The LTIR indicator, which measures the number of injuries resulting in temporary absence, improved by 6% as a result of a strong safety culture.

All sites have again met the requirements of the ISO 14001:2015 Environmental standard and the ISO 45001:2018 Occupational health and safety management system. For the 14th time in a row, they have also renewed their international Responsible Care® certificate (POR) and, with a successful audit, remain the only company in Slovenia to comply with the EU EMAS Environmental management system at four production sites.