Planet
End-to-End Environmental Commitment
We understand our responsibility to help protect the environment and as a result, seek to minimize our environmental impact throughout our operating cycle. Our commitment to the environment begins with the design of our products and extends throughout the manufacturing process and end-of-use disposal and recycling.
In 2020, our Mirandola, Italy plant was certified by ISO-14001 and ISO-45001, as well as our Munich, Germany plant, which has ISO-14001.
During manufacturing, we work to optimize energy and resource usage to ultimately reduce greenhouse gas emissions and waste. In 2018, we implemented a new tri-generation system in our plant in Mirandola, Italy that is designed to reduce energy use and carbon emissions. In 2019, we established a cap on our vehicles’ carbon emissions at 130 g/km. In addition, we continue to replace fluorescent lights in our plants in Arvada, Colorado; Mirandola, Italy; and Houston, Texas with LED bulbs to reduce overall energy consumption, and we are continually working to improve the efficiency of our machinery, for example, by replacing HVAC units with more efficient equivalents.
Scrigno Project in Mirandola, Italy
Our team in Mirandola, Italy identified, engaged in and completed the Scrigno Project in early 2021. In an effort to optimize the manufacturing process, the team designed and implemented a mobile ISO 6 environment – the scrigno, or “box of valuables” in Italian - to transport components directly from one cleanroom to the other, without waste and in an environmentally friendly way. The team’s initiative resulted in a reduction of packing time and movement, a projected generation of $150,000/year in savings, a shorter logistics chain, lower inventory and a reduction in consumption of 200,000 plastic bags/year and 3,000 cartons/year.
Greenhouse Gas Report
| 2020 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Scope 1 carbon emissions (mt) | 12,448 | 12,895 |
| Scope 2 carbon emissions (mt) | 17,260 | 19,756 |
| Total (mt) | 29,708 | 32,651 |
| Energy use (GWh) | 115 | 122 |
Other Sustainability Focus Areas
People
Our employees are crucial in our mission to provide hope and life-changing innovation to our patients and their families.
Products
Quality and safety are key to developing innovative products that work in partnership with and improve life.