Many companies are working hard to integrate good sustainability practices into everyday operations, but collaboration is a necessity. No single organization can tackle the road to sustainability alone, so how does a biotechnology solutions provider help collaborators meet ambitious targets – wherever they appear on the value chain? We need all our stakeholders to work with us. That way, in the end, we can win against a shared competitor – climate change.
“Designing in” sustainability is a key part of any company’s strategy for new and existing products. Viewing sustainability through the lens of the entire product lifecycle – from the concept all the way through to distribution, customer use, and beyond – leaves recycling as an important, final part of that strategy. Collaboration with recycling specialists to recycle filtration devices, for example, is just one method of how collaborations expand sustainability credentials.
Working with vendors that share a commitment to sustainability is important so that suppliers know where and how best to collaborate. A single department collaboration is not enough to meet the ambitious goals of many companies, so a good sustainability strategist will always be looking to identify and work with companies and suppliers that take sustainability as seriously as they do. For example, we have collaborated with TemperPack to replace polystyrene with novel plant-based packaging across our value chain. This is expected to eliminate 60,000 polystyrene boxes every year while maintaining our high levels of quality in shipping.
Sustainability also extends beyond the realm of environmental protection. It isn’t just about the planet; it includes people. As we saw during the pandemic, the biotechnology industry worked together to develop and manufacture vaccines and therapeutics that saved the lives of so many people. However, there is always more that can be done. The vision of a good sustainability strategist should be of a world in which access to lifesaving therapeutics transforms global health. There is a patient waiting at the end of everything we do in this industry. Just as we collaborated to enable delivery of vaccines and therapeutics to people to end the pandemic, we must tackle sustainability with the same focus and determination.
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