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As one of Europe’s leading healthcare providers, it is our mission to contribute to the health and well-being of the people of Europe. After all, we deliver health! Our corporate responsibility however goes beyond that mission. As a company, we must ensure that our growth creates value not just for us, but also for society and the environment in which we operate.
A major highlight in 2021 has been the launch of a new group-wide sustainability agenda with the following five focus areas:
Working together for the benefit of the environment, greening the grounds of the Czech headquarters and having fun at the same time: this was part of the family tree-planting campaign initiated by our Czech subsidiary. All its employees were called upon to participate and, together with their families, the colleagues planted trees and shrubs on the company grounds in Prague.
Every year, our Macedonian subsidiary carries out training sessions for all its employees regarding the proper handling of waste. This includes, for example, learning about the types of waste generated at the PHOENIX group and how to dispose and recycle them correctly in order to conserve resources. In this way, every employee can actively contribute to protecting the environment.
Roofs can get very hot in summer, and global warming is exacerbating this further. At one point, the thermometer on the roof of a warehouse in Clermont-Ferrand showed 70 degrees Celsius. To save energy, the French subsidiary implemented various refurbishment measures. Among other things, the roof was painted with a reflective paint that also seals it against moisture. This “CoolRoof Solution” now enables the temperature to be lowered by 6 to 10 degrees, thereby saving 20 to 30 percent of the energy required for air conditioning.
The PHOENIX group uses recyclable plastic totes to transport medicines and other healthcare products. In the future, almost all of these totes will be made from recycled materials. Our Italian subsidiary Comifar first initiated this changeover: all of its totes, purchased for the Novate site in 2021, are made from 100-percent recycled plastic. This step saved 11 tonnes of plastic in just one year. Four other subsidiaries have successfully tested this approach as well. Step by step, totes made from recycled materials are being tested and introduced at all PHOENIX sites. Once this changeover is completed, the PHOENIX group expects to save 750 tonnes of plastic annually across the group. In the future, discarded totes will also be returned to the recycling loop.
Our Danish subsidiary Nomeco is participating in a recycling project of Novo Nordisk in the value chain: since 2020, customers have been able to return used disposable insulin pens to selected pharmacies – and Nomeco collects them at the pharmacies. Since delivery runs are made to the pharmacies in any case, no additional transport emissions arise from the collection. Nomeco stores the pens, and transport companies contracted by Novo Nordisk regularly take them to a special recycling facility. This project aims to reduce the incineration of medical waste and increase recycling; the glass inside the pens and their plastic housings are of the highest quality. The participation of additional subsidiaries in this project is in the planning stage.
Our Dutch subsidiary delivers medicines in Rotterdam with the help of solar power: the SunRider, the first cargo e-bike which charges itself with solar energy while on the road. The SunRider picks up medicines at the BENU Hub in Rotterdam and delivers them to customers. If the sun isn’t shining, the SunRider can also be charged via the electricity grid. Since the first SunRider was introduced, four additional solar-powered bikes have taken to the roads in the Netherlands.
Reliable deliveries: From warehouse workers to pharmacists, many PHOENIX employees work on a daily basis to ensure that medicines reach the patient undamaged. They are mindful of the need to handle medicines with care, store and transport them at the right temperature, and check expiry dates regularly. Since medicines must be disposed of as hazardous waste once the packaging is damaged or the expiry date has passed, careful handling also protects the environment.
The success of the PHOENIX group is founded on responsible and legal conduct along the entire supply chain. The guidelines for this are laid out in our compliance principles. We expect our service providers to operate their businesses responsibly too. Our Supplier Code of Conduct includes a ban on child labour and forced labour in addition to the rights to fair pay and freedom of association.
Greener operations: The PHOENIX group wants to minimise its impact on the environment – and its measures to support this goal include the reduction of emissions arising from the operation of our buildings and from transports, avoiding waste generation as well as increasing the recycling of materials.
One of our major tasks will be to reduce CO2 emissions within the PHOENIX group. In order to achieve this goal, we will focus on energy efficiency measures, the purchase of electricity from renewable sources, our own electricity production through photovoltaic systems and the switch to alternative drive technologies such as e-mobility.
Getting better every day – together: We believe that the only way to shape our future successfully is to work together with our employees as equals. Our trust-based relationship is founded on the PHOENIX group’s corporate culture, which centres on dialogue.
In addition to our employee reviews, our Speakap employee app and employee surveys are important tools for the exchange with our employees. A little bit better every day – at PHOENIX, this approach also means offering talented people interesting opportunities for career growth and further training as well as providing a healthy work environment.
Furthermore, the PHOENIX group seeks to play an active role in society. For us, responsibility means using our skills and resources to make a positive contribution to the common good, beyond the scope of our core business. To this effect, we support many regional projects linked to our mission: “We deliver health across Europe”. In fiscal year 2021/22, the PHOENIX group donated a total of €0.51 million to projects associated with these issues.
