Bachem’s sustainability commitment

Companies that operate to a ‘triple bottom line’ that measures not just financial performance but also their social and environmental impacts are more successful over time.

This reality is now appreciated by investors but this is not the only reason why Bachem is committed to corporate social responsibility (CSR), making sustainability one of its five strategic key focus areas. Bachem believes that companies play a broader role by being responsible toward employees, the environment, society, and customers.

CSR management system

This commitment is reflected in the CSR strategy of the Bachem Group. It is aligned with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and encompasses a CSR Vision and Mission, a CSR Strategy, defining which topics are to be managed (materiality) as well as CSR Goals and Measures, that are updated annually.

Bachem has upheld its commitment to the Responsible Care® program for over two decades, but the CSR management system implemented in 2020 marked a further level of engagement in sustainability. This engagement has been recognised through an EcoVadis Silver Rating, confirming that Bachem Group ranks in the top quarter of companies assessed for their CSR performance.

Ambitious objectives

Beyond its core business Bachem’s CSR mission is to continuously improve the performance as an attractive employer, in safeguarding the environment, and in acting ethically.

To this end, in 2021 the Board of Directors (BoD) set long-term targets for the group in the field of occupational health and safety, diversity, and equal opportunity as well as in energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Energy efficiency and climate change

For a manufacturing company like Bachem, energy is an important asset. But the company still wants to contribute to decoupling economic growth and resource consumption. The BoD has set a target for energy consumption per FTE to decrease by 20 percent from 2020 levels by 2026. This is an ambitious goal with new production facilities coming on stream during that period.

Bachem stands behind the Paris agreement on climate change and supports efforts to fight global warming. Along with the energy consumption reduction additional measures will lead to a halving of the so-called Scope 1 (direct) and Scope 2 (purchased energy) GHG emissions until 2026 and to climate neutrality (net zero emissions) by 2030.

Employee well-being

Bachem already operates to the very high standards when it comes to occupational health and safety.

Nevertheless, the company is firmly focused on further improving employee wellbeing as a key components of being able to attract the best people, who are able and willing to innovate and meet the future needs of customers.

Bachem’s vision and strategy therefore prioritizes both People & Culture and Operational Excellence in making contributions to an attractive working environment that include zero accidents, with a firm target to reduce lost time incidents down to or below one incident in every 200,000 working hours.

Diversity and equal opportunities

Bachem adheres to the principles of fairness and honesty, providing equal terms of employment to all employees. This commitment to equality is evidenced by the company’s approach to diversity, recognizing the value of every employee’s contribution to success, and believing that an environment of inclusion fosters innovation.

Bachem is committed to gender equality. Wage gap analyses are routinely carried out and appropriate consequences are drawn in the event of irregularities. In addition, measures are being taken to increase the share of women in the workforce as well as in upper management and regional executive committees by 10 percent in five years.

A further fundamental intent of Bachem is to reflect the communities of which it is a part. Site management will define the demographic characteristics that should be appropriately represented and take the necessary steps to achieve this.

Committed to CSR leadership

Bachem’s prime contribution to sustainability is to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all of all ages by offering the highest quality products and services to its customers, supporting the development of new medicines and drugs. The company celebrated its 50^th anniversary this year and is the undisputed market leader when it comes to peptide production.

By bringing its commitment to sustainability to life, Bachem will demonstrate that it is not only a leader in the production of peptides and oligonucleotides for research, clinical development, and commercial application but can also deliver on its broader promise to meet the highest standards in corporate social responsibility for a better world tomorrow.

Resources

Click on Bachem Annual Report: Sustainability for latest performance report.
Click on Bachems News to see latest News & Events.