Our main environmental targets are focused on compliance with regulations and on optimising our ecoefficiency – produced units per unit of water and energy used. The positive trend of the past few years continued in 2003.

Full compliance is our goal - Breaches of regulatory limits - Accidental releases - Complaints 

Since 2000, our eco-productivity has increased by a total of 28% for water and 53% for energy. We use eco-productivity indices (EPIs), which relate the scale of production to the consumption of resources. This assures us that we should be able to achieve, if not exceed, the targets of an annual average improvement of 5% in the EPI for water and 4% for energy by 2005.

Total water consumption for Novo Nordisk in 2003 amounted to 2,621,000 m3, an increase of 28% compared with 2002. Total energy consumption for Novo Nordisk in 2003 amounted to 2,299,000 GJ, an increase of 10% compared with 2002. However, total CO2 emissions have increased by only 3% and the SO2 emissions have declined by 3% compared with 2002. This is due to the fact that we are increasingly using energy from more environmentally friendly sources, such as renewable energy. 66% of the energy used by Novo Nordisk is supplied by external power stations, primarily as electricity and as steam or district heat. The remaining 34% comprises heat and steam produced by combustion plants at our production facilities. Heat and steam generated at our facilities are based on 97% natural and town gas, and 3% mineral oil.

For indicators such as emissions to air, wastewater, spent biomass, other waste and environmental impact potentials, see the table ‘Key performance data’.

Full compliance with all environmental laws and regulations is a key part of our Environmental Management System. Breaches of regulatory limit values, regulatory limit values with repeated breaches, and accidental releases are indicators of performance. In addition, we report the number of complaints.

Eco productivity indices and Compliance status
(click to view tables as pdf files)

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Environmental authorities stipulate conditions in the production approvals for our facilities, for instance regulatory limits for emissions of particular substances to the environment. We regularly monitor and document our compliance with environmental requirements. The number of breaches of regulatory limit values has increased from 30 in 2002 to 105 in 2003. This dramatic increase concerns breaches of limit values for pH and temperature of wastewater which is measured continuously. Technically, it has proven difficult to quickly neutralise the wastewater. Due to our focus on wastewater control, the breaches are recorded instantly and reported to the local authorities. None of the breaches have had any significant environmental impact. The work to solve these problems will continue in 2004.

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No accidental releases of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) were recorded in 2003. There were 20 other accidental releases. Of these, 15 were accidental releases of non-hazardous substances to soil (1), waste (1), air (1) or sewer (12); in all cases the environmental impact was negligible. There were five accidental releases of a cooling substance. All accidental releases are reported to the authorities and actions are taken to limit the environmental impact and avoid similar incidents.

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We received 11 complaints from neighbours and other stakeholders. Seven of these concerned noise and odour. Two complaints came from neighbours at our facility in North Carolina, US, who were concerned over the application of US EPA-approved wastewater sludge product to our land leased by a farmer. One complaint concerned improperly labelled and improperly closed containers with hazardous waste. No harm to the environment was observed; the issues were dealt with; and employees retrained. Finally, a complaint was made about inadequate sorting of plastic waste. The plastic is now being recycled. The site reports account for compliance and complaints at specific locations.