EHS Performance Indicators

The global Environment, Health & Safety department leads the development, implementation and tracking of environmental sustainability, as well as workplace health and safety activities at Boehringer Ingelheim. Through its global network, which encompasses all Operating Units, as well as international and local partners, it strives to optimize our global environmental and safety performance.

The environmental sustainability program MORE GREEN and the corresponding Carbon Footprint, Clean Water and Circular Economy initiatives, as well as the BE SAFE workplace safety program, are part of the “Sustainable Development – For Generations” framework. Through them, Boehringer Ingelheim is continuing a journey that began more than 135 years ago – becoming ever more sustainable and continuing the significant reduction in the company’s greenhouse gas emissions, energy and resource use and water footprint.

By 2030, we have committed to becoming carbon neutral in our operations (Scope 1 and 2), further reducing our water footprint, particularly at sites affected by water scarcity, protecting clean water in the communities in which we operate, utilizing aspects of circularity to reduce overall operation waste to landfill, and apply eco-design and green chemistry concepts to all new products.

Through the BE SAFE program, which was established in 2010, we place a particular emphasis on ensuring a safe workplace for our employees and partners. We continuously strive to optimize our work and safety culture and strive to maintain our employees’ long-term good health by preventing accidents, incidents, and occupational health risks.

Performance indicators related to our environment, workplace health and safety commitments are collected and managed by the global and local Environment, Health and Safety teams in all Boehringer Ingelheim Operating Units. The data below reflects the global initiatives’ progress and contribution towards achieving Boehringer Ingelheim’s environmental sustainability and safety commitments. All indicators are based on quantities and are normalized to global net sales (sales index), with 2010 serving as the base year. Global carbon emissions are calculated according to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol.

2022 Summary:

Environmental Sustainability

Boehringer Ingelheim had a very successful business year in 2022 and continued increasing its production globally, while decreasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in its operations by 41% since 2010.

Boehringer Ingelheim’s decarbonization goal is consistent with limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels, as defined by the Paris Climate Agreement and the requirements of the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi). All strategic measures to reduce carbon emissions are coordinated globally by the MORE GREEN environmental sustainability program, and implemented through local Operating Units in consideration of requirements available there. In addition, we have implemented a supplier engagement program and a platform to increase access to renewable electricity for suppliers in order to reduce carbon emissions in our value chain (Scope 3). As part of the carbon neutrality program, five of our global production and R&D sites are certified as carbon neutral in their operations (Dortmund, Kathrinenhof (Germany), Gainesville (Georgia, USA), Sant Cugat (Spain), and Zhangjiang (China)). 

Absolute energy consumption has remained at similar levels since the base year, despite steady growth in our operations and manufacturing, resulting in an overall reduction of energy consumption normalized to net sales of 40% in that time span. In addition, the share of electricity purchased from renewable sources surpassed 65% for the first time in 2022. EUR 205 million were invested in a new, climate-friendly biomass power plant at the Ingelheim headquarter, which is currently under construction and scheduled to begin to operate in 2023. 

Boehringer Ingelheim focuses on environmental sustainability in its larger projects and provides another EUR 130 million for green projects that contribute to the global MORE GREEN goals. This fund has already helped to initiate more than 50 new environmental sustainability projects since 2020. To foster low carbon technologies and solutions, Boehringer Ingelheim has implemented an internal carbon price of EUR 100 per ton CO2 emissions for investments, which has been fully established at all sites.

Unavoidable carbon emissions are offset partially through certified reforestation, biodiversity, and local community projects in collaboration with  ClimateSeed, as well as local partners globally.

Increases to operational waste to landfill originate from technical changes and adaptations at our existing Ingelheim biomass power plant, impacting the overall cumulative data for the entire company. Circular economy, eco-design and green chemistry projects and commitments are not affected or involved and continue their efforts at all Boehringer Ingelheim sites.

Similar to energy consumption, water consumption has remained stable since 2010, with consumption normalized to net sales continuing its positive trend, reaching a new best at minus 40% compared to the base year.

Health & Safety

After a significant drop in accidents in 2020 linked to the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting shift to home office work for many employees, the number of occupational accidents increased slightly in 2021 and stabilized at the same level in 2022, with employees increasingly returning to their on-site workplaces. Despite this, occupational accidents were reduced by approximately 40% since 2017, with existing health and safety initiatives like BE SAFE making further improvements in areas such as road safety, ergonomics, risk awareness and safety culture.

Indicators for the following topics are available below: 

• Greenhouse Gas Emissions(GHG)
• Energy
• Waste
• Water
• Accidents

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Scope 1&2

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Scope 3

GHG Emissions Reduction in %

Energy Consumption

Share of Purchased Renewable Electricity

Waste to Landfill

Waste Rates in %

Water

Accidents