What does sustainability mean for us?
Orion’s sustainability approach is based on the company’s values and four cornerstones.
“Sustainability is our shared responsibility at Orion, and something that is deep in our DNA. Sustainability is part of our everyday life and work,” Noora Paronen, Head of Corporate Responsibility says.
Orion’s operations and business philosophy are based on the company’s most important principle guiding operations: patient safety and reliable supply of medications.
“Patient safety and reliable supply of medications are the core of our business and can never be compromised.”
Orion continuously monitors adverse drug reactions to improve patient safety. In addition, Orion’s pharmaceutical packaging undergoes the strictest of testing processes to guarantee product integrity.
The second cornerstone of Orion’s Sustainability Agenda is Manufacturing products in an environmentally sustainable way.
“We have invested in wastewater management in all our facilities in order to minimise our share of pharmaceutical residues ending up in the environment. We are also increasing awareness of the impact of pharmaceutical residues in the environment with the help of various stakeholders,” Paronen says.
Orion uses waste ethanol to reduce the nitrogen load in the Baltic Sea. The by-product, which was previously destroyed as waste, is now used for cutting the nitrogen content of wastewater in significant amounts.
Carbon footprint calculation of waste will help Orion evaluate the environmental effects outside its own operation. With lifecycle assessment, the company can target its environmental practices in the best way as a whole.
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Responsibility for Orionees is the third cornerstone of Orion’s Sustainability Agenda. It is all the more important in these exceptional times when everyone has to go the extra mile. Orion is committed to advancing occupational safety towards the goal of zero accidents.
Business ethics and transparency is the fourth cornerstone guiding Orion’s operations. Orion’s Code of Conduct sets out the ethical operating principles that guide our daily work at Orion’s premises in Finland and abroad.
Responsibility concerns the entire product lifecycle at Orion. The entire chain has to be unbroken all the way from R&D to manufacturing, clinical use and the disposal of a pharmaceutical product that has reached the end of its useful life.
“By providing training in sustainability principles and monitoring their implementation, we help our partners to develop their operations. In the big picture, if everybody improves their sustainability, it makes a stronger impact on the whole. It is our responsibility to participate in that work,” Paronen says.
April 21, 2021
