Lek receives Responsible Care certificate
- During Chemical Safety Week, Lek, a Sandoz company, received a certificate for their Responsible Care program. In Slovenia, the certificate was awarded by the Association of Chemical Industries of the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
- The Responsible Care program is a voluntary initiative supported by the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) and the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC).
- At Lek, responsible care is an integral part of our operations and a condition for the sustainable development of the company.
During Chemical Safety Week, which is organized by the Chemicals Office of the Republic of Slovenia and is being held from May 25 to 29, 2009, the Association of Chemical Industries awarded Lek, a Sandoz company, a certificate for their Responsible Care program. At Lek, responsible care is an integral part of our operations and a condition for the sustainable development of the company. It takes into account Novartis guidelines, healthcare, safety and environmental legislative requirements and the principle of sustainable operations.
Today, sustainable operations is one of the key operational factors in the chemical industry. In line with the Corporate Citizenship policy at Lek, a Sandoz company, they take a position of responsibility with regard to protecting health, ensuring safety and protecting the environment. They set measurable goals for improving their activities in this area, strive to use natural resources responsibly and to minimize the environmental impact of efficient use of the their operations.
“This is not just about ensuring compliance with laws, but is a step forward towards true sustainable operations, which takes into account not just the environmental but the economic and social aspects as well,” says Anton Kramarič, Head of Health, Safety and Environment at Lek.
Responsible Care
Responsible Care is an international voluntary initiative in the chemical industry. It began in Canada in 1981, and was gradually adopted by the chemical industry around the world, which is represented by the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA). Within the framework of the initiative, the chemical industry encourages responsible treatment of employees and the environment in the widest sense of the word. It focuses on introducing good practice, usually through management systems, especially in the fields of occupational health and safety, environmental protection and cautious and safe handling of chemical industry products. The goal is constant and measurable improvement of operations in the aforementioned fields, from occupational health and safety through care for the environment all the way to efficient consumption of energy. In the future the program is expected to develop into a sustainable development program which will also take into account indicators of socially responsible conduct, which have not yet been determined since they are more difficult to measure.
Lek, a Sandoz company, is one of the pillars of leading world generics company Sandoz. It operates as a global development center for products and technologies, as a global manufacturing center for active pharmaceutical ingredients and medicines, as a competence center for the development of vertically integrated products, as a Sandoz competence center in the field of development and manufacturing of biosimilar products and as a supply center for the markets of CEE, SEE and CIS, sales Slovenia and sales services for Sandoz global markets. For further information please visit http://www.lek.si/eng/.
Sandoz, a Division of the Novartis group, is a global leader in the field of generic pharmaceuticals, offering a wide array of high-quality, affordable products that are no longer protected by patents. Sandoz has a portfolio of approximately 1000 compounds and sells its products in more than 130 countries. Key product groups include antibiotics, treatments for central nervous system disorders, gastrointestinal medicines, cardiovascular treatments and hormone therapies. Sandoz develops, produces and markets these medicines along with pharmaceutical and biotechnological active substances and anti-infectives. In addition to strong organic growth in recent years, Sandoz has made a series of acquisitions including Lek (Slovenia), Sabex (Canada), Hexal (Germany) and Eon Labs (US). In 2008, Sandoz employed around 23,000 people worldwide and posted sales of USD 7.6 billion. For further information please visit www.sandoz.com.
Novartis AG provides healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Focused solely on healthcare, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, cost-saving generic pharmaceuticals, preventive vaccines, diagnostic tools and consumer health products. Novartis is the only company with leading positions in these areas. In 2008, the Group’s continuing operations achieved net sales of USD 41.5 billion and net income of USD 8.2 billion. Approximately USD 7.2 billion was invested in R&D activities throughout the Group. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis Group companies employ approximately 96,700 full-time-equivalent associates and operate in more than 140 countries around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com.
This press release contains statements and conclusions based on projections of Lek’s future business operations. These estimates are derived from the best information currently available. In case these forecasts prove unreliable, the actual results could prove different from those projected.
For further information contact:
Katarina Klemenc Dinjaški
Corporate Communications
Lek Pharmaceuticals d.d.
Phone: + 386 1 580 22 43
Fax: + 386 1 580 24 32
communications.lek@sandoz.com
