Sustainability Report 2010 Lek d.d.

39 Active Environmental Policy environmentally acceptable disposal. Specific clean waste is reused as an energy resource in an environmentally friendly manner, for which we have obtained an environmental per- mit (see Item 2.2. Compliance with laws and standards). Over the past 5 years, the increase in the volume of hazard- ous waste generated was mainly due to the changes in the production program. This was mostly accounted for by the Menge‰ site, where our strategic focus was placed on the manufacture of higher-complexity products by using special techniques with higher added value but greater energy com- plexity. This is the reason why the index of hazardous waste generation intensity per tonne of product grew significantly in 2009. However, we simultaneously launched measures to reduce the volume of this type of waste. By improving the process of industrial waste treatment (stripping) in 2010 we reduced the volume of waste generated in the product of the highest complexity in terms of quantity by more than 70%, thus reducing total relative quantities of hazardous waste by 0.6 t per tonne of product. Among the hazardous waste generated at the Menge‰ site, non-halogenated waste solvents prevail, accounting for 85– 95% of total hazardous waste. The mixtures of halogenated waste solvents account for 3–11%. In 2010, the use of halogenated solvents in the manufacture started to decline as a result of improvements implemented in accordance with Novartis’ recommendations on the use of alternative solvents in production (replacing halogenated solvents with non-halogenated ones) and due to the introduction of environmentally advanced technological solutions (a cryo- condensation unit at the air exhaust, a distillation column for solvent recovery). At the Menge‰ site, 15-30% of the annual volume of non-halogenated waste solvents of extreme purity and with a high calorific potential is removed in a burning device through co-incineration of natural gas, this practice having been introduced as early as in 2007. The acquired energy is utilized for technological purposes to prepare technical steam. The permit for the operation of the device for the processing of waste solvents by means of co-incineration is covered within the integral environmental permit for the Menge‰ site (see Item 2.2. Compliance with laws and standards). At the Ljubljana site, out-of-date products account for a con- siderable portion of the generated hazardous waste. The inventory management method in place, however, makes it impossible to reduce their volume. The increase recorded in 2010 is attributable to 137.45 additional tonnes of waste resulting from the decontamination of rooms and the equip- ment of the dry injection plant (cefalosporins). In accordance with Novartis’ requirement, the process of grinding filled capsules and vials was abolished in 2009 and 2010. This resulted in reclassification of this type of waste from non- hazardous to hazardous waste, which is one of the reasons for increased volumes of the latter. Disposal of non-hazardous waste 45 Despite increasing production outputs, changes in the pro- duction structure and the rising number of employees, the relative quantities of waste (t of waste / t of product) have remained at almost the same level over the past 5 years. The structure of waste, however, has been subject to con- siderable change. The highest level of change is recorded in waste packaging, mainly due to more consistent waste seg- regation and sorting. This type of waste accounts for 20%. The highest growth is posted at the Ljubljana and Menge‰ sites where an annual increase of up to 30% was recorded on all the segregated waste fractions. This result was largely due to additional employee training and awareness-raising at all the sites. Intensive waste segregation also resulted in reduced volumes of mixed municipal waste. At the Menge‰ site, relatively large volumes of biologically degradable waste are generated by the manufacture of fen- nel and Echinacea juices, the volume depending on the pro- duction outputs. The waste is collected by certified waste treatment companies for further composting. The structure of non-hazardous waste is the following: up to 30% of municipal waste, up to 30% of waste packaging by fraction (paper, plastics, wood, metal, glass), up to 20% of biodegradable industrial waste, while the remaining share is accounted for by other non-hazardous wastes. Municipal waste is disposed of, waste packaging is mainly recycled (through the SLOPAK system), biodegradable waste is used as a compost-like material, whereas other non-hazardous wastes are disposed of by certified companies by means of incineration. 45 GRI Indicator EN22, POR OI6 Graph 9: Hazardous waste amounts per tonne of product – efficiency (t of waste/ t of product) * The blue line indicates the trend between 2006 and 2010 2006 2007 2008 2009 0 0.6 1.2 1.8 2.4 2010 1.4 1.2 1.4 2.4 1.3 t of waste / t of product 3.0