CSR and Sustainability Roundup

Abbott (Abbott Park, IL) released its 2009 Global Citizenship Report in early May. The report may be found here.

Albemarle (Baton Rouge), a specialty and fine-chemical producer, received awards from the American Chemistry Council (ACC) for the company’s contributions relating to environmental, safety, and health (EHS) activities. ACC is a US-based trade association representing chemical manufacturers. The company received: The Responsible Care Performance Award, which recognizes a company’s product stewardship efforts; the Responsible Care Facility Safety Certificate, for achievement in employee health and safety performance; and the Responsible Care Significant Improvement in Manufacturing for energy conservation at its facilities in South Haven, Michigan, and Bayport and Pasadena, Texas. Responsible Care is an EHS program for ACC member companies.

Uwe E. Reinhardt, PhD, and the James Madison Professor of Political Economy and professor of economics at Princeton University, was named the 2010 recipient of the William B. Graham Prize for Health Services Research. The prize is funded by the Baxter International Foundation and managed by the Association of University Programs in Health Administration.

Bristol-Myers Squibb (New York) received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver certification for its biologics manufacturing facility in Devens, Massachusetts. LEED certification, established by the US Green Building Council and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute, is a program for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings. The company’s laboratory and office building at the Devens site received LEED gold certification in December 2009.

The National AIDS Fund (NAF), a philanthropic organization focused on fighting HIV/AIDS, announced the awarding of major grants to 35-community-based organizations to help improve access to care for people living with HIV/AIDS in five US areas: Chicago, New York, Oakland/San Francisco, North Carolina, and Louisiana. The grants were made possible through a separate grant by Bristol-Myers Squibb to NAF.

Eli Lilly (Indianapolis, IN) reported on its progress in meeting its five-year environmental goals, which were announced last year. Its goals are to improve the energy efficiency of its operations and reduce corresponding greenhouse gases by 15%, reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills by 40%, and reduce water intake by 25%. Thus far, the company has increased energy efficiency by 5%, reduced greenhouse gases emissions by 5%, reduced the level of waste sent to landfills by 56%, and reduced water intake by 30%.

Merck & Co. (Whitehouse Station, NJ), the Australian Cervical Cancer Foundation, and the Royal Government of Bhutan launched a six-year national vaccination program for Merck’s Gardasil (human papillomavirus quadrivalent (Types 6, 11, 16, and 18) vaccine for girls and young women between the ages of 12 and 18 in Bhutan.

In a separate development, Merck & Co. received a 2010 Energy Star Sustained Excellence Award from the US Environmental Protection Agency in recognition of the company’s efforts to protect the environment through energy efficiency.

Novo Nordisk (Bagsvaerd, Denmark) and the University of Copenhagen launched two new eLearning tools, one for ethics decision-making skills and another on how to address ethical dilemmas, at a meeting at the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in Copenhagen in May. The tools were developed in partnership with Novo Nordisk, the University of Copenhagen, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, LRN, and Responsible Business Solutions, two management and services firms specializing in CSR implementation.

Pfizer (New York) and the World Bank will collaborate to improve the healthcare infrastructure, specifically the supply chain, in developing countries beginning with Africa. The public–private collaboration will focus on the enhanced use of information and communication technologies to improve healthcare delivery. The effort is part of the World Bank’s eTransform Initiative, which was launched this spring.

In other news, Pfizer and the Medicines for Malaria Venture, a nonprofit organization focused on discovering, developing, and delivering malaria treatments, formed an agreement for the development, access, and delivery of a fixed-dose combination treatment of azithromycin dihydrate and chloroquine phosphate for the treament of malaria in pregnant women. Pfizer will seek marketing authorization in select malaria-endemic African countries.

Roche (Basel, Switzerland) launched Educare, a project standing for Education for Cancer in African Regions. Roche will work with the International Atomic Energy Agency to provide support in helping to combat cancer in sub-Saharan Africa.

sanofi-aventis (Paris) was awarded the 2010 Global Business Coalition Core Competence Award for its Malaria Access to Medicines partnership program with the Drugs or Neglected Diseases Initiative, a nonprofit product-development partnership focused on research and development of new and improved treatments for neglected diseases.

In a separate development, sanofi-aventis announced the creation of the Sanofi Espoir Corporate Foundation, which will focus on implementing health and solidarity programs worldwide. The foundation will be chaired by Jean-François Dehecq, honorary chairman of the company.

UL Environment, a subsidiary of Underwriters Laboratories, a standards-setting organization, plans to develop what it calls the first global organization-wide sustainability standard. The standard will define core sustainability principles for businesses and organizations based on metrics verified by a third party. The new standard will serve as a procurement tool and will aid in understanding a company’s sustainability performance profile.