Resizing our carbon footprint

The ecological balance of the world is at a tipping point: Loss of the Amazon rainforest, polar ice caps continue melting, permafrost threatens to thaw and release tons of CO₂, more and more ecosystems are being lost. But climate change also presents an opportunity to change the way we live. Boehringer Ingelheim is committed to contributing its share to counteract these threats. Thus, we step up the initiative “Carbon Footprint” – with the plan to have carbon neutral operations by 2030.

“As a pharmaceutical company, we strive to improve health of humans and animals. The environment has a direct impact on people’s wellbeing. Hence, we are actively working to preserve it,“ explains Ingo Weiss, head of the Carbon Footprint initiative and corporate Be Green Program Lead at Boehringer Ingelheim. Drawing on the Paris Climate Agreement and the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), Boehringer Ingelheim’s ‘Carbon Footprint’ initiative has developed its own 2030 roadmap: all operations are to become carbon-neutral (scope 1 and 2) by 2030.

Acting now for a healthy planet

By now the initiative has introduced measures in different fields to reduce carbon emissions at Boehringer Ingelheim since it was initiated. Switching to green power solutions, electrifying vehicles and initiating energy efficiency projects around the globe are just a few examples. In addition, the initiative established an internal carbon price of 100 EUR per ton CO₂ equivalent to foster the implementation of innovative low carbon technologies and solutions. This is more than two times the price the EU Emissions Trading System has set for carbon in 2021 (40 Euros a ton of CO₂). The overarching goal of measures like these is to take significant action, and to change the corporate mindset along the way.

Measures towards carbon neutrality

The internal carbon price allows the company to consider CO₂ emissions in the business case for all new investments. For example, when the company evaluates a building project, the purchase of a new technology or the development of a product.

This makes Boehringer Ingelheim rethink certain decisions. In Gainesville, Georgia/USA, and Sant Cugat, Spain, for instance, new canopy parking lots have been equipped with solar panels. This has created higher costs at the beginning. But it pays off in the long term because electricity is generated from a renewable source and can be used directly on site.

Internal carbon pricing is only one means that has contributed to Gainesville’s and Sant Gugat’s efforts to become greener. Energy-efficient LED lights and occupancy sensors becomes standard in buildings and E-mobility is being fostered by setting up charging stations for the electric vehicles, that employees use to commute. In addition, Gainesville is – together with the German site Dortmund – going to be one of the first sites to achieve carbon neutrality.

Green funds and partnerships

Many more sites are to follow within the next ten years, in accordance with the 2030 roadmap. A “green fund” takes care of these capital costly projects. Boehringer Ingelheim focuses on sustainability in large-scale projects and invests another 13 million euros annually for green projects that contribute to environmental sustainability. But not all CO₂ emissions can be avoided completely. Therefore, Boehringer Ingelheim also has entered partnerships to effectively address this issue. The company collaborates with EYCarbon, Bosch Climate Solutions and also with ClimateSeed, a social business that offers a wide range of internationally verified emissions reduction projects, including reforestation, water and waste management, in more than 20 countries. Together with Climate Seed, Boehringer Ingelheim is supporting biodiversity and local communities by voluntary offsetting of unavoidable carbon emissions.

On the way to a “green DNA”

The Carbon Footprint initiative is part of ‘More Green’, one of the three pillars of Boehringer Ingelheim’s ambitious program ‘Sustainable Development - For Generations’. Sustainable values have guided the Boehringer Ingelheim family over the course of its 130-year history. Born out of the company’s Leitbild and inspired by the UN SDGs, Sustainable Development - For Generations is the next stage in a journey that will ultimately further advance Boehringer Ingelheim’s way of thinking and acting.

The Carbon Footprint initiative has already many successes to show. 22 new projects were initiated with the help of a green fund in 2020 alone. On top, greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced by start shifting to renewable electricity sources.

Boehringer Ingelheim considers these successes as first steps to fulfil our commitment to environmental protection: Fight climate change by reducing our carbon footprint and enter partnerships to become even more efficient and protect the planet’s resources by using them in a sustainable way.

More than actions on a corporate level are needed, however, to make a sustainable change in the world. Individual engagement is also necessary, according to Ingo Weiss. “Our projects should serve as a role model in their own cause. They should embed green thinking in people's minds, encouraging them to take action themselves. I, for my part, don’t want my children to have to live in a worse world than the one I grew up in. That’s why I seize every opportunity to advance the ‘Carbon Footprint’ initiative all over the Boehringer Ingelheim world - role modelling our values to walk the talk, do what we say.” This way, everyone can contribute to tipping points not being crossed and the earth remaining a place worth living – for generations to come.

Details on metrics are provided in the chapter Performance Indicators.