Establishing LCA in the Healthcare
Sector
Nanja Hedal Kløverpris
Abstract Novo Nordisk has used Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for many years
and a few years ago the company took a major step forward and completed a
mapping of the product carbon footprint of the company’s key products. Through
successful cross-organisational collaboration, technical LCA data and results have
been translated into easy-to-understand messages that have helped the organisation
to understand the LCA concept, drive improvements across the life cycle and to
communicate about the environmental impact of products to external stakeholders
such as patients, healthcare professionals, payers and policy-makers.
1 Introduction
Novo Nordisk is a global healthcare company with more than 90 years of innovation and leadership in diabetes care. Headquartered in Denmark, Novo Nordisk
employs approximately 42,000 people in 77 countries and markets its products in
more than 165 countries.
A key element in Novo Nordisk business philosophy is the triple bottom line
principle, which is about balancing financial, social and environmental considerations. This is anchored in the Novo Nordisk Articles of Association. The company
has a long history of optimising the environmental performance through ambitious
strategies and partnerships. One example is the Kalundborg Symbiosis, where Novo
Nordisk was one of the founders of an industrial symbiosis partnership. Another
example is the 10-year long partnership between Novo Nordisk and DONG Energy,
which has resulted in major energy savings and ensured that all Novo Nordisk
production sites in Denmark are powered by renewable energy from an offshore
wind farm.
Novo Nordisk has taken the next step in the journey towards environmental
responsibility and intensified the focus on the environmental impact at the product
N. H. Kløverpris (&)
Novo Nordisk A/S, Bagsvaerd, Denmark
e-mail: nnhk@novonordisk.com
© The Author(s) 2018
E. Benetto et al. (eds.), Designing Sustainable Technologies,
Products and Policies, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66981-6_10
89
Sector
Nanja Hedal Kløverpris
Abstract Novo Nordisk has used Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for many years
and a few years ago the company took a major step forward and completed a
mapping of the product carbon footprint of the company’s key products. Through
successful cross-organisational collaboration, technical LCA data and results have
been translated into easy-to-understand messages that have helped the organisation
to understand the LCA concept, drive improvements across the life cycle and to
communicate about the environmental impact of products to external stakeholders
such as patients, healthcare professionals, payers and policy-makers.
1 Introduction
Novo Nordisk is a global healthcare company with more than 90 years of innovation and leadership in diabetes care. Headquartered in Denmark, Novo Nordisk
employs approximately 42,000 people in 77 countries and markets its products in
more than 165 countries.
A key element in Novo Nordisk business philosophy is the triple bottom line
principle, which is about balancing financial, social and environmental considerations. This is anchored in the Novo Nordisk Articles of Association. The company
has a long history of optimising the environmental performance through ambitious
strategies and partnerships. One example is the Kalundborg Symbiosis, where Novo
Nordisk was one of the founders of an industrial symbiosis partnership. Another
example is the 10-year long partnership between Novo Nordisk and DONG Energy,
which has resulted in major energy savings and ensured that all Novo Nordisk
production sites in Denmark are powered by renewable energy from an offshore
wind farm.
Novo Nordisk has taken the next step in the journey towards environmental
responsibility and intensified the focus on the environmental impact at the product
N. H. Kløverpris (&)
Novo Nordisk A/S, Bagsvaerd, Denmark
e-mail: nnhk@novonordisk.com
© The Author(s) 2018
E. Benetto et al. (eds.), Designing Sustainable Technologies,
Products and Policies, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66981-6_10
89