In the decade since the first Earth Summit in 1992, environmental pressures have continued to escalate, despite a global commitment to reverse that trend. We agree with  the consensus reached at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development that now, more than ever, is the time to focus on solutions.

It is estimated that by 2025 two out of three people in the world will live in water-stressed conditions, and that by 2050 global energy consumption will double. Add to that a consumption of resources which contributes to the degradation of ecosystems and biological diversity, and the growing problem of climate change due to greenhouse gases, and it becomes painfully clear that the challenges are immense. At Novo Nordisk, we realise that environmental problems must be seen in a global context. Once it was believed that addressing the problems of individual pipes and smokestacks was sufficient  environmental action. Now we know better. Acid rain, depletion of the ozone layer and global warming are examples of environmental problems to which we all contribute. Solutions can only be found through concerted action by society and industry.

 The product life cycle and our influence on the environmental impacts of our products
(click to view table)

That is why we think it is important to go beyond the requirements of local and national legislation and consider international agendas. We subscribe to the UN Global Compact and to the International Chamber of Commerce’s Business Charter for Sustainable Development. We support the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity and work to reduce our CO2 emission in line with the Kyoto Protocol on global warming.
Promoting efficient production and minimising the use of energy is one step in the right direction – so is the wise management of water at local level. Improving efficiency of industrial and management processes, consuming fewer raw materials and generating less waste, are all part of the path towards sustainable development. This requires living more off the earth’s interest, and less off its capital, which is, in fact, sound business. We think of it as decoupling ‘environmental bads’ from ‘economic goods’. ‘Decoupling’ occurs when the growth in environmental  impact is less than the economic growth per produced unit within a given time period. This is one of the main objectives of the OECD Environmental Strategy for the First Decade of the 21st Century. It is also a goal of the European Union’s current Environmental Action Programme. This approach is also emphasised in the plan for implementation of improved environmental progress that emerged from the Johannesburg
summit. Failing to decouple economic growth from the intensified use of natural resources will put an increasing burden on the global environment. It is a risk society cannot afford to take.