Environmental management at our company is based on the Integrated Environmental and OHS Management System. The following are implemented as part of this system:

• Polpharma Group Environmental Protection Policy
• Polpharma Group Employee Occupational Health and Safety Policy
• Laboratory Management Policy

Polpharma Group’s Integrated Environmental and OHS Management System complies with the following international standards:

• ISO 14001 (Environmental Management)
• ISO 45001 (Health and Safety Management)
• PN-EN 17025 (Quality Management in Testing Laboratories)

Our key environmental objectives:

• reduce electricity and heat consumption,
• reduce water withdrawal,
• increase the use of recycled packaging materials,
• increase the quantity of regenerated solvents,
• reduce waste and increase the percentage of waste undergoing recycling and recovery,
• reduce CO₂ emissions in passenger transport.

We take steps to minimise our carbon footprint through, among others, reducing energy consumption, improving transport efficiency (including passenger transport), monitoring our suppliers for compliance with the Sustainable Supply Chain Policy, and using proper waste management practices.

Our strategic goals and adopted performance indicators through 2025 include:

1. Reduction of GHG emissions (CO2 equivalent)

• By 2025, we will reduce our carbon footprint in scope 1 and 2 by 17% (relative to 2021).

2. Minimising our environmental impacts by ecodesigning products and processes and by applying the principles of the circular economy

• We will develop and implement eco-design standards for the development of new substances and drugs.
• We aim to reduce the amount of waste from production and auxiliary processes relative to production volume by 5%.

Key measures related to limiting greenhouse gas emissions in scope 1 and 2 concern heating, electricity and the car fleet. The most important of these are:

• changing the way heating energy and process steam necessary for our production activities are generated in the Starogard CHP plant by means of gradually phasing out coal and replacing it with sustainable biomass and/or natural gas;
• developing a green electricity purchasing model, taking into consideration e.g. long-term PPA agreements;
• building photovoltaic installations in each of Polpharma’s locations in Poland;
• adopting measures aimed at reducing electricity and heating energy consumption (Energy Saving Programme);
• replacing part of the car fleet with hybrid vehicles.

Activities related to ecodesign and the circular economy include the creation and implementation of 4 standards of development of new pharmaceutical substances and finished dosage forms, as well as sustainable investments and packaging. We will also create a programme to enable waste reduction through increasing the effectiveness of use of materials and raw materials in manufacturing and auxiliary processes.

To achieve our goals, we will also conduct environmental education programmes for both our employees and other stakeholders (suppliers, pharmacists and patients).

The organisation’s carbon footprint

The carbon footprint is the total of greenhouse gas emissions caused directly or indirectly by an organisation, product, event or individual. It includes carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and other greenhouse gas emissions expressed in tCO2 (ton of carbon dioxide equivalent). This measure was developed to enable a comparison between the emissions of various gases, which make different contributions to global warming (e.g. 1 ton of methane = 25 [tCO2e]).

In 2021, we launched a project consisting in calculating our carbon footprint in all three scopes. The calculations were made in compliance with the following standards:
• The Greenhouse Gas Protocol
• GHG Protocol Scope 2 Guidance
• Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Accounting and Reporting Standard

Product carbon footprint

In 2024, carbon footprint assessment for 10 active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) necessary for drug production was conducted. The carbon footprint analysis will ultimately influence the implementation of changes aimed at reducing climate impacts. All calculations were performed in accordance with the GHG Protocol Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard. The results are expressed in 1 kg of CO2 equivalent per 1 kg of product.

The assessment encompassed emissions from the extraction of raw materials to the manufacturing of the finished product, with consideration given to emissions released into the environment.

The analysis of emissions at each stage of API production provided insights into which stage was the most material- and energy-intensive. Based on the results, it is possible to implement measures such as exploring alternative raw materials with lower emission factors or reducing energy consumption in the production process through optimisations, utilisation of renewable energy sources, and energy-efficient equipment. In this way, the company is pursuing the goal of its ESG strategy, which is to mitigate the climate impact of its products.

Below is a summary of the 20 products for which the carbon footprint was calculated in 2023-2024.

Implemented in 2011, this initiative aims to encourage our employees to cycle to work on a regular basis. To this end, we have built bicycle parking lots at our facilities. Credit is awarded for each registered bike commute, which can then be exchanged for prizes in the Cafeteria System.

Environmental benefits:

• lower CO2 emissions
• fewer cars on the streets
• noise reduction
• more free parking spaces at the company
• movement is health, and a healthy body is a healthy mind

Green Tickets

The goal of the Green Tickets project is to encourage our employees to use public transport to commute to work. A subsidy in the form of credits in the cafeteria system is granted for each monthly/quarterly ticket.

Environmental benefits of the subsidy programme:

• lower CO2 emissions
• fewer cars on the streets
• less fuel consumption by employees
• noise reduction
• more free parking spaces at the company

Green Office Certificate

The Warsaw office has been certified as a Green Office for more than ten years.

This involves meeting criteria that can be divided into two groups. The first group includes technical criteria related to, for example, the management of water and electricity consumption or the possibility of waste separation. The second group involves environmental education of employees, suppliers and customers, as well as fostering a friendly working environment.

Green Process Award (Nagroda Zielonego Procesu)

The Green Process Award was created to encourage employees to search for, identify and implement innovations and  sustainable solutions to limit the negative environmental impact of Polpharma production processes, products and services. When entering a project into the Programme, employees often demonstrate great creativity and a comprehensive approach to problem solving, practical use of theoretical knowledge, knowledge sharing, systemic thinking and teamworking skills. The proposed initiatives significantly contribute to the achievement of the company’s environmental goals and are consistent with the Environmental Protection Policy. Employees are rewarded with cafeteria system credits, receive financial prizes, statuettes and plant their “own” trees at the company’s premises.

Initiatives submitted for the Green Process Award are evaluated in terms of:

• pursuing climate neutrality
• reduction of water consumption
• reduction of pollutants in effluents
• increasing packaging and product compliance with eco-design principles
• reduction of waste generation

“Let’s talk about the environment” meetings

The purpose of the meetings is to exchange information and experience. So far, we have had the opportunity to join experts from external companies to discuss topics such as: eco-design, medicines in the environment, climate neutrality, management of packaging introduced into the market, circular economy, changes in waste management, etc.

Energy-Saving Programme

The Energy Saving Programme consists of employee education and technical and organisational measures to reduce energy consumption. Through the involvement of a cross-functional team, a systematic approach to optimising energy consumption was developed. Each initiative is preceded by a technical and economic analysis, and the effects of the introduced solutions are monitored by means of control audits and data from automation systems, which are part of the technical infrastructure of our plants.

Shared Business Travel

There is a lot of business travel in the Polpharma Group in Poland. When travelling on business, employees use different means of transport, including company cars. To date, one car has been typically used by a single individual or a group of teammates. This caused the vehicle to be used inefficiently in many cases. Since one of the priorities of the Polpharma Group’s green thinking is the optimal use of resources, in 2016 we implemented the principle of jointly planning business trips using company cars. We modified the electronic business travel register to include all our branches in Poland. Now all you need to do is tick the appropriate box when you choose to travel by company car, informing others that colleagues travelling in the same direction are welcome to share the car with you. The system matches people travelling by car with some free seats available to those looking for carpooling opportunities for business travel purposes. Detailed arrangements are made by colleagues offline.

Ecodesign

Activities related to ecodesign and the circular economy include the creation and implementation of 4 standards of development of new pharmaceutical substances and finished dosage forms, as well as sustainable investments and packaging.

In 2023, the procedure entitled: “Planning the production of new active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and improvements to existing processes in line with eco-design principles was implemented.

In 2024, a procedure entitled: “Planning the production of new finished products and improvements to existing processes in line with the eco-design requirements” was implemented. The basic aspects of eco-design of finished products include:

• Selection of a process with optimal energy efficiency;
• Selection of “green solvents, optimisation of solvent consumption for the technological process”;
• Selection of direct packaging with the least possible environmental impact wherever possible, taking into account legal, quality and economic requirements:
  • No packaging that has a negative impact on the environment, e.g., elimination of packaging containing vinyl and halogen compounds;
  • Use of recyclable packaging,containing recycled material;
  • Use of packaging with a low carbon footprint;
• Analysis of active ingredient presence and composition as well as minimisation of solid, liquid, and gaseous emissions generated in the process;
• In 2024, Polpharma developed the “EU Taxonomy Compliance Guide for the Polpharma Group” as a sustainable investment standard.