Waste
Resource conservation at Boehringer Ingelheim is managed as part of an ongoing process of prevention and reduction of material usage and waste. Our goal is to design the most efficient approach during the planning process of drug development.
Waste management and disposal at all sites worldwide have to be in compliance with all relevant legal requirements. Our sites are responsible for measures and activities to improve the use of materials and to increase the recycling rate. According to our corporate procedures, our employees handling hazardous waste are regularly trained on site.
In addition to our disposed domestic waste (in tons), we on a yearly basis record hazardous waste, including pharmaceutical waste resulting from operations at our production and R&D sites. In order to facilitate the comparison of our performance, we publish a disposed waste index (in %, relative to sales volume, base year 2010).
The reuse rate (%) shows the percentage of material collected for the recycling and thermal reuse processes.
Details on metrics are provided in the chapter Performance indicators.
Waste and recycling in 2010-2015
Boehringer Ingelheim´s worldwide disposed domestic waste dropped from 2010 to 2015 from 8,275 t to 5,188 t which is a reduction of 37%. Approximately 14 % of this saving has been triggered by divesture of former Boehringer Ingelheim sites.
Boehringer Ingelheim´s worldwide disposed hazardous waste dropped from 2010 to 2015 from 20,866 t to 16,600 t which is an achievement of 20%. Approximately 3 % of this saving has been triggered by selling of former Boehringer Ingelheim sites.
The last 5 years Boehringer Ingelheim increased constantly the reuse rate (recycling and thermal reuse) from 77% to 81 % in 2015.
Corresponding to these good results dropped the disposed waste index (relative to sales volume) from 100% to 64 % in 2015.
Note: Figures from outsourced activities/ site closure or site acquisition are not excluded.