Biopharmaceutical innovator Sanofi has launched a €3 million Planet Mobilisation fund to support employee ideas and projects that will further contribute to a healthier environment. In 2021, three Sanofi teams will have their projects implemented and funded.
For several years, Sanofi has been implementing a global environmental roadmap, Planet Mobilisation, which is embedded in Sanofi’s long-term strategy. The programme covers all Sanofi activities and sites and the entire lifecycle of products, from raw materials used in production to their disposal.
Philippe Luscan, Executive Vice President, Global Industrial Affairs, said: “We strongly believe our employees are the most powerful agents of positive change for people and for the planet. It’s with this ambition and objectives in mind that we decided to create a fund of €3 million to finance ideas and projects coming from our employees in support of our environmental ambition.”
In 2021, more than 500 employees from 63 sites in 29 countries participated in the company’s environmental sustainability ideation programme. A full programme of bootcamps, hack-a-thons, and design thinking workshops led by Sanofi’s Innovation Lab helped the teams turn ideas into sustainable projects.
Three winning projects were selected this inaugural year. In Vietnam: “Rice is the New Green” is a project from Sanofi’s Hô Chi Minh team to implement the first green and circular large-scale rice husk biomass. This will allow Sanofi’s Hô Chi Minh site to become a fossil fuel free site, eliminating 2.3 thousand tons of carbon dioxide a year and reduce steam costs by 40%. In Europe: “IDRA” is a project from three country sites in Europe, including Anagni, Italy; Compiègne, France; and Geel, Belgium. The project aims at recycling treated wastewater from the sites to be directly reused on site. The three pilot plants could save up to 220 million litres of water per year. In Ireland: “Waterford Loves Planet Not Plastic” is an education project to help reduce plastic waste. Through information via school programs, nature restoration programs such as coastal clean-ups, and an app measuring plastic waste and incentivising reduced consumption, Sanofi Ireland ‘ambassadors’ will contribute to their communities more balanced use of plastic and the management of its waste.
Image. Credit: Alin Anderson
