Sustainability Report 2012 Lek d.d.

9 Company Profile improved water and energy use efficiency, while reducing emissions of volatile organic compounds. With these im- provements, the site appropriately marked its 30 th anni- versary in a town that has above all become a place for people to live. The use of water was also diminished at the Prevalje site where, similarly to the Menge‰ site, we also improved energy consumption and started replacing absorbers to achieve a decrease in the emissions of volatile organic compounds into the air. By completing capital projects and introducing thermal oxidizers used to control emissi- ons, we have already achieved a significant reduction in the emissions of volatile organic compounds into the air at the Ljubljana and Menge‰ sites. Deviations from the set objectives were only recorded for waste volumes, where growth was observed. At the Lendava site, we permanently discontinued the process of mycelium waste incineration conducted in 2010, the baseline year. The waste was redirected to a biogas plant for reprocessing, which was the main factor of the waste volume growth recorded. Even though the project itself is dedicated to reducing waste volumes, the use of the Novartis reporting methodology resulted in increased figures. Such fluctuations and the product mix vary from site to site. For the year 2013, short-term objectives by individu- al site were therefore given priority, which enabled additi- onal transparency of our business operations. It is to be expected that constant changes in the market situation will further dictate dynamic adjustments of our production portfolio. As satisfactory as our achievements in the environment protection may be, they can by no me- ans be generalized. Through continuing efforts in each of the forthcoming years, we will strive to reach the same level of achievement. Our firm commitment to being a responsible corporate citizen and a family-friendly company will be maintained and further consolidated, regardless of any economic is- sue we are facing in our environment. This is reflected in the significant role that corporate responsibility plays in adopting business decisions and plans. In our endeavors, we receive considerable support and motivation from our enthusiastic and committed associates who participate in Sandoz' and Novartis' initiatives promoting a healthy life- style, safe work and volunteerism in their respective local communities. Vojmir Urlep, MSc President of the Board of Management