Gerresheimer receives sustainability award from AstraZeneca

The two Gerresheimer production locations of Horšovský Týn and Pfreimd have been awarded gold status for the year 2019 by the customer AstraZeneca. The worldwide sustainability program of the pharmaceutical company evaluates its suppliers in the three categories Inclusive, Resilient, and Transparent. Gerresheimer met the required standards in all 3 areas and is therefore receiving the highest distinction for its sustainability management.

Companies no longer only measure their performance with economic success and the quality of their products. Increasingly often, they assume active responsibility for the environment and the people in their area of influence as members of society. In the framework of this development, Gerresheimer sees itself as a pioneer and already established the principles of sustainability and entrepreneurial responsibility years ago in its corporate values and in a comprehensive Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) guideline. The AstraZeneca pharmaceuticals group pursues a similar strategy and has target that at least 75% of its manufacturing partners achieve at least the bronze standard of the sustainability framework by 2025. The Gerresheimer production locations of Horšovský Týn and Pfreimd, which are active for AstraZeneca, go well beyond this basic level with their sustainability management and were therefore rewarded with gold certificates for the past year.

The prerequisite for a gold evaluation is that a company be active in all three categories of the AstraZeneca Sustainability Framework and fulfill defined minimum standards in each category. Thus, in the Inclusive category, the fields of human rights, diversity, and inclusion, as well as the health and safety of employees and the advancement of health in the local community are evaluated. The Resilient category encompasses the company’s performance in the fields of energy and greenhouse gases, water, waste, and ecological balance of products, as well as environmental strains caused by drugs. In the Transparent category, the public CSR reporting, as well as participation in measures to increase transparency are evaluated. The performances are measured through assessments of recognized external institutions like EcoVadis and PSCI EcoDesk.