Sustainability

Conversion and new buildings for more environmentally friendly production

In Brehna, we have a logistics center that complies with the requirements of "Good Distribution Practice" (GDP), which were adopted by the EU in 2013. The aim of GDP is to ensure high product quality of pharmaceuticals by avoiding counterfeiting and manufacturing errors. Likewise, the new building meets the current energy efficiency criteria for buildings of the German Energy Saving Ordinance (EnEV) 2014, including effective thermal insulation and an air-to-water heat pump as well as active post-cooling ventilation. In addition, the building was equipped with a green roof for reasons of ecology and better thermal insulation. Another special energy feature was also implemented in this third building on the site in Brehna. Pharmaceuticals must normally be stored in the temperature range 15-25 °C. In the increasingly hot summer months, compliance with these storage conditions can only be achieved with costly cooling by means of air-conditioning systems. At mibe, we achieve optimum thermal insulation by means of a green roof and night-time air circulation. By using large fans, we draw cooled outside air into the warehouses during the night hours, thus enabling compliance with temperature limits.

A special highlight for reducing CO2 emissions was the installation of a solar plant in the first quarter of 2021 with a power capacity of 610,000 kWh. This will cover almost 10% of the current electricity consumption at the Brehna site. Furthermore, we achieved even better insulation of the roofing from thermal radiation and lowered voltage peaks. 

With our new building at the subsidiary axicorp, we have an ultra-modern production, warehouse and administration building which, on the one hand, meets the currently valid energy standard (EnEV) 2020 and, on the other hand, has a roof area that is three quarters extensively greened. The usable floor space of over 7,400 m2 extends over two floors in the plant and relies on the latest energy standards. These include a photovoltaic system with a rated output of 99.18 kWp, a green roof covering 3,600 m2 and a ventilation system with heat recovery. In combination with an air-to-water heat pump and a gas condensing boiler, this reduces energy requirements. And fresh water consumption is also reduced by using precipitation water from the roof surfaces for toilet flushing.  

In addition, our subsidiary Melasan in Austria moved into a new administration and production building in the past two years which, in addition to meeting current energy efficiency standards, has a rainwater infiltration system to partially offset the sealing of ground surfaces.

At all other production sites, we also comply with strict environmental protection requirements and continuously adapt to new regulatory requirements. Our production sites are located in designated industrial and commercial zones. Before we acquire a company and thus also take over its sites, we first examine the ecological risks in a due diligence process. Since 2015, all our factories have been certified by an accredited engineering firm through an energy audit in accordance with DIN EN1642. 

Resource Management at Euromed

Euromed, our Spanish subsidiary and manufacturer of herbal pharmaceuticals, has committed to supporting sustainable agriculture. As such, stringent quality control from raw material to waste disposal is of key importance for Euromed. Its main production facility in Barcelona, which processes more than 5,000 tonnes of biomass into herbal extracts each year, has obtained multiple production certifications including ISO 14001 for ecological sustainability. Among other things, the organic waste generated during production is passed on to companies that generate environmentally friendly energy, is composted, or is used as feed for livestock.

Euromed also focuses on exploiting the full potential of the plants used, for instance its product "Lipidic Sterolic Saw Palmetto Extract" (SPE) which as the name suggests is sourced from saw palmetto. The ripe berries of this wild plant, which is considered endangered, are harvested exclusively in Florida and a small part of Georgia, USA. Euromed operates its own facility close to Lake Okeechobee in Florida so that it can rapidly dry and process the harvested berries. This ensures that they have an optimal fatty acid content and means that the raw material is fully traceable. The residue remaining after fruit extraction is used for recycling products such as natural dyes.

Modern continuing education in the new "Dermapharm eCampus"

The idea of ensuring employee development regardless of when or where it takes place is growing in significance, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated the trend towards e-learning. Consequently, in September 2020, the Company launched "Dermapharm eCampus", its own internal training platform, at selected sites. In doing so, we have not just expanded the existing training and education opportunities on offer to our employees but have also laid the foundation to make established training initiatives (including in-person training) more efficient to implement and easier to document. At present, "Dermapharm eCampus" is being used by just under 500 active employees at six Group sites.

The online courses cover regulatory topics (such as data protection, compliance, occupational health and safety, information security) and specialist subject areas (such as drug safety, various product-specific training courses).

The integrated reporting within the system means that those responsible for specific topics always have an overview of how effective their mandatory training programmes are and can further optimise them where necessary. The certificates awarded after successfully completing training serve both as proof of the employee's individual development and as evidence for external audits. In 2020, a total of more than 300 employees each completed nine mandatory training courses via "Dermapharm eCampus".

The training platform will gradually be rolled out to the other Dermapharm Group sites over the course of 2021, and the range of training on offer will continually be expanded. By 2022, we are planning to integrate four other companies within "Dermapharm eCampus". In addition, all employees already have access to specialist training courses available via the online training portal of the German Pharmaceutical Industry Association (Bundesverband der Pharmazeutischen Industrie e.V., "BPI"), BPIeCampus.