This has resulted in winning multiple environmental awards of which the 2011 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Environmental Quality Award is the most recent.
Taking action leads to making progress. Three important pillars can be defined within this sustainability strategy of Amgen:
1. Green facilities
Over the past several years, Amgen has conserved hundreds of
thousands of gigajoules of energy and reduced thousands of metric
tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by updating facilities to
reduce ventilation rates during unoccupied periods.
2. Green initiatives
Amgen staff members are engaged in many conservation efforts that
make improvements for the environment and our business. Staff
initiatives have contributed to improving Amgen's recycling rate by
53 percent from 2007 through 2010.
3. Green products
In 2010, Amgen scientists launched a Green Chemistry program to
find ways to use safer chemicals, less energy, and more-efficient
practices as they research potential new medicines. This program is
one component of Amgen's Green Products and Processes program,
which supports ongoing work to build environmental sustainability
considerations into core areas of our business such as research,
manufacturing, and packaging of vital medicines.
For Desso corporate social responsibility is high on the agenda as well. Early 2008 Desso made a natural decision to take an alternative route and go a step beyond mere sustainability in our design and production. Desso has set itself the target to be a fully Cradle to Cradle® (C2C) company in all its business units by 2020. Quite simply, it's about 'doing the right things right'. We want to avoid creating an efficient pursuit of the wrong goals, and make a fundamental shift towards a new design objective. By doing that we can ensure that our products are made from pure materials that are safe for human use and can be biologically or technically recycled at the end of their useful life. We call this eco-effectiveness.
Today Desso's Business Carpet division is well ahead of planning. With the launch of DESSO EcoBase® we have achieved Cradle to Cradle® Silver Certification for our carpet tiles. Desso is proud to be the only carpet tile manufacturer in the world to have achieved Cradle to Cradle® Silver Certification for an entire carpet.
Environment, Health and Safety
Amgen recognizes that excellence in Environment, Health
and Safety ("EHS") performance is integral to an efficient and
successful business. Amgen is committed to achieving high standards
of environmental quality and to providing a safe and healthy
workplace for all of its staff members, contractors, and temporary
staff.
We believe that Desso products can significantly contribute to creating healthier workplace solutions by using innovative products such as Desso Airmaster®.