Responsibility

Environment

Acting on our understanding of the complex links between health and the environment, our sustainability strategy focuses on three core pillars: responsible product development, sustainable operations and engaged suppliers. Together with passionate Biogen employees and other stakeholders, we aim to advance a healthier and more sustainable world.

We strive to be fully compliant with the requirements of the communities in which we operate, while also acting responsibly to reduce carbon emissions, water consumption and waste, with a refreshed approach on return on investment and timelines.

Responsible Product Development

Our Principles of Sustainable Drug Development promote health, safety and sustainability in our work to discover, develop and manufacture new medicines that could transform patients’ lives. Greening our labs is among these priorities, and we became the first large biotech company to certify 100% of its labs through the My Green Lab program. We conducted four life cycle assessments (LCAs) in 2023 to assess how our products impact the environment across the entire life cycle, for a total of eight LCAs completed. And to advance our goal of eliminating PVC from our packaging, wherever possible, we began evaluating PVC alternatives with materials that showed promising results in early stability studies.

Sustainable Operation

Our approach to operations is informed by recognized international standards for best practices in Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) management. To ensure we remain in line with evolving expectations, we engage in a detailed external audit every few years. In addition, we have developed a Green Scorecard that incorporates insights around efficiency and safety, two dimensions of process sustainability. Increasing energy efficiency is also essential to our sustainable operations goals. To this end, we have upgraded to a higher-efficiency boiler with an economizer and provide electric vehicle (EV) options in approximately 35 countries where our employees may use corporate fleet vehicles.

Engaged Suppliers

Our Sustainable Procurement Principles guide us toward greener choices to lessen the environmental influence of our value chain. With our Supply Chain Sustainability CLEAN (Conscious Logistic Environment Action Network), we have assessed hundreds of key suppliers, helping them incorporate environmental impacts into their business decisions. We are also a founding member of Energize, a collaborative industry program with the bold ambition to decarbonize the pharmaceutical sector.

Read more about how we’re progressing against our goals and other highlights in our Corporate Responsibility Report.

Key Awards and Recognition

 
  • Named to the 2023 Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for 11th time, receiving the distinction of Top 1% S&P Global CSA Scores.
  • Named to Newsweek’s America's Greenest Companies 2024.
  • #33 on Just Capital’s 2024 JUST 100, a ranking of the most “just” companies.

Environmental Reporting

Principles, Policies and Positions

Discover More

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Responsibility

Using sustainable production to make new medicines

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Responsibility

Helping community health clinics address climate risks

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Stories

Solothurn site champions sustainability

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Reporting & Principles

2023 Corporate Responsibility Report