Environmental management, subsidiaries
For the companies in the Celesio group, responsibility for people's health begins with ensuring they get a safe, reliable, fast supply of medicines, and naturally also includes responsibility for the environment and for nature.
Working in 16 countries in and outside Europe means working on the borderline between industrial plants and nature. The group's managing directors take their responsibility seriously, for their staff, for society, for the environment and for nature. Below you will find some examples of our environmental work.
Eco-management by OCP
In partnership with the Janssen-Cilag laboratory, OCP France has introduced an innovative method for recycling packaging
OCP France has again proven its environmental engagement: on the occasion of the "Grenelle Environnement" conference, the LEEM (Les Entreprises du Médicament) organisation, an association of businesses in the French pharmaceuticals industry, challenged its members to think about ways in which isothermic packaging could be developed in a sustainable manner. A pioneer in the field, the Janssen-Cilag laboratory, contacted one of its largest distributors, Celesio's French subsidary OCP, with a view to implementing a system for recycling isothermic packaging. At present approximately 3,000 packaging items are sent to OCP per year, each one costing between 35 and 80 euro. "The stakes for the environment are high," says Éleonore Sauvage, the Logistic Services Spokesperson for the OCP to Logistics Department.
With the development of the new system, called PHARMAECO2, in future the packages can be reused on average 3.4 times. A reduction in CO2 emissions is beyond question when one considers the kilometres that are not driven by transport vehicles and the packages that are not destroyed (equivalent to 300 full lorry loads a year). "Of course, we have taken care to monitor the financial feasibility of the operation," adds Corinne Thuderoz, the Regulated Market Supply Chain Manager at the Logistics and Heritage Directorate. "It is limited, given the cost of transport for returns, but enough to justify the project. With the exception of the packaging manufacturer, everyone has committed to the system, from the laboratory to the depository and the distributors."
In specific terms, a number of centralised facilities have been collecting the packages since last spring and sending them to the Depolabo by the lorryload as soon as they have enough to fill the vehicle. A logistical partnership agreement has been signed by all of the participants, and OCP has been paid for its assistance. "The idea is beginning to gain acceptance with some labs," says Elodie Pelras, Negotiator for the Trading Department at OCP. "So the procedure may well be used more widely."
The OCP eco-citizen procedure
The partnership that was initiated by an approach from OCP to the Janssen-Cilag laboratory has a long list of programmes designed to benefit the environment. In particular, OCP took the requirements of the Grenelle Environnement convention into consideration in the design of its most recent facilities. OCP Breizh recovers rainwater, relies on a wind turbine of the latest generation to produce renewable energy, and its entire commercial van fleet runs on biofuel. As a result, emissions of CO2 have been reduced by 23 per cent, black smoke and particulates by 20per cent. The new OCP in Périgord-Limousin is also taking advantage of all these eco-conscious innovations, and the OCP Paris fleet will be converted to biofuel by the end of 2010. Other environmentally friendly programmes that have been instituted also include the collection of used ink cartridges and dead batteries at headquarters, green container recycling, and new cold boxes. It is planned to launch more new programmes to benefit the environment in the next few months, and OCP has begun to think about ways to integrate all of these programmes in a comprehensive, company-wide strategy.
Eco-management by AAH
AAH's recent introduction of environmental measures has highlighted how all of us can, by making a few easy changes to our routine, help reduce unnecessary waste - and cut costs for the company.
Since AAH introduced the simple energysavings ideas last year across all branches it proved that simple measures such as switching off lights at the end of a shift and turning off photocopiers had saved between five and ten percent of energy costs.
Geoff Wright, Head of Corporate Services, says: "It's everybody's responsibility within AAH and a requirement for the environment to save energy. We all need to think about the environment and how we use energy at work as much as we do at home. When we are in our own homes, we do not leave unnecessary lights on; we are in the habit of turning them off. We all need to apply that thought when we are at work as well and get into the habit of switching off."
Exploring a new policy has also meant the company has looked at reviewing the actual and potential environmental impact of all activities. In Tamworth, a trial is being undertaken of a reactive 'intelligent' light system that takes into account levels of natural light in the branch and cuts power consumption accordingly. This has also been incorporated into the design at Enterprise House. And rather than throwing away cardboard generated by the immense level of packaging used by AAH in the course of everyday business, it now recycles it. London branches Romford and Ruislip have already switched to lower emission vans and this is being applied to other branches.
"We have already achieved a lot with very little effort. We have still got a long way to go. It is crucial we all do as much as we can," added Geoff. A new environmental policy is scheduled to be implemented in January 2008.
Eco-management by Herba Chemosan
Celesio's Austrian wholesaler combines ecology with cost reduction.
For Herba Chemosan, Celesio's wholesaler in Austria, environmental protection counts as a strategic factor. Accordingly, Herba Chemosan implemented a modern waste management concept for its branch in Vienna.
This commitment to sustainability comprises the following features:
- Increasing the number of recyclable products
- Reducing residual waste
- Improving waste management documentation
Alongside the benefits for the environment, Herba Chemosan reduced its annual waste disposal costs by 30 percent.
"Austrian companies always try to be fore-runners in ecological matters", says Michael Schneider, Deputy Head of Herba Chemosan's site in Vienna. "In addition, Herba Chemosan is keen to demonstrate its commitment towards corporate responsibility. And it pays off in every sense of the word."
Travelling green at Herba Chemosan
Ever year, the vehicles used by Celesio subsidiary Herba Chemosan travel a long way for their customers. Even small cuts in routes can considerably reduce petrol consumption and CO² emissions.
Until recently, the Celesio wholesaler delivered three or four times a day to pharmacies in Austria; now there are just two deliveries a day per pharmacy. This means changing delivery vehicle routes, as they do not need to visit every pharmacy on every trip. The shorter distance travelled lowers fuel consumption and thus cuts CO² emissions. In this way, Herba Chemosan can play an active role in protecting the climate and the environment, while simultaneously cutting costs by using resources effectively.
Eco-management by GEHE
High-performance and safe: GEHE's DIN-certified cold chain logistics
A new swimsuit allows competitive swimmers to drastically improve their performance - at GEHE the equivalent is the new cooling box. More precisely, a container with a special inlay and higher efficiency levels makes medicinal supplies for pharmacies safe, fast and environmentally friendly. GEHE's cold chain logistics system is DIN ISO 9001 certified and has recently been reengineered. The pharmaceutical wholesaler from Stuttgart worked for more than six months with TÜV Mannheim, the "absolute cold" institute and Storopack (the producer of the new cooling box) on this project.
"Medicines are goods of a special kind. This is particularly true for thermosensitive medicines", GEHE's Director of Operations Klaus Völker states, "of about 3500 goods approved for sale in Germany needing cold storage, approximately 250 medicines have to be stored in a cold chain. It is our ambition to reach the highest standard and consistency in terms of storage and transport - from the cold store to the arrival at the pharmacy. Medicines are often highly thermosensitive. High demands with regard to organisational processes and safety ensure the excellent quality of deliveries within our cold chain logistics - as confirmed and certified by the TÜV".
The typical cyan cooling boxes have a standard red lid with the inscription "cooled goods". Depending on the temperature of the environment and the size of the container, a clearly defined number of cooling elements provides for the required temperature. The inlay of the new box is not made from Styrofoam any more, but from so-called Neopor, a high-tech material ensuring required cooling temperatures, even if outside temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius.
The shelf life of these pharmaceuticals can shorten significantly if a certain storage temperature is fallen short of or exceeded, even if only for a very short time period. Therefore these medicines need to be stored and transported at between 2-8 degrees Celsius. The cooling process must not be interrupted during transportation to the pharmacies. GEHE's cold chain logistics safeguards the required cold chain at any point in time.
When it comes to cooling logistics, the new box does more than just improve the safety of the medicines; thanks to its enhanced efficiency it also reduces energy consumption and the amount of raw materials required during manufacturing.
The improvements to wholesale delivery schedules help protect the environment and the climate. The Celesio wholesaler's vehicles travel some 1.5 million kilometres a day on their way to pharmacies. Over such huge distances, even small cuts to routes soon make a noticeable difference in terms of saving petrol. Efficient planning guarantees fast customer service while at the same time reducing CO² emissions.
Keeping mercury out of the environment
The aim of the campaign "gesund leben im Haushalt" ("healthy living at home") was to eliminate mercury from German, British and Austrian homes. The campaign was supported by GEHE Pharma trading, Herba Chemosan and AAH Pharmaceuticals, Celesio's wholesalers in Germany, Austria and Britain, which dealt with logistics in each country.
At participating pharmacies, customers could swap their mercury thermometer for a digital thermometer at just one euro apiece. Each pharmacy was allowed to decide when the campaign would take place. The old mercury thermometers were then disposed of appropriately.
The reason behind the campaign was the European Union directive on "the marketing of certain measuring devices containing mercury", banning the sale of mercury thermometers as of 1 January 2009.
At a trial run in Germany, at the Stadt-Apotheke 52 pharmacy at the Fellbach health centre near Stuttgart, some 700 mercury thermometers were handed in over just two-and-a-half weeks.
The campaign was a success not only in terms of health policy but also of environmental management and waste disposal. Mercury, a source of danger, was eliminated from people's homes, and the dangerous poison was disposed of appropriately.
As a fully-fledged pharmacy equipment supplier, Spiegel Versand, a subsidiary of GEHE Pharmahandel GmbH, addresses various environmental aspects.
All the goods are transported completely carbon-neutrally. As official partner of the trans-o-flex service "CO2de green" the Spiegel Versand GmbH takes care for climate protection. Already in 2011, one of the largest exchange actions that has ever occurred in German pharmacies took place. For example, pharmacies received an environmental incentive for recycling old medicine refrigerators and other electrical appliances. Today, instead of PVC, customer loyalty cards are made from fully recyclable Polyback. Exterior lighting for pharmacies is now offered with LED technology that provides ever greater power savings and has a clearly longer life.
Eco-management by Kemofarmacija
Celesio’s Slovenian wholesaler makes first year of waste medication collection in accordance with new regulation a resounding success
2010 was the first year in which Slovenia put in place a waste medication management system – and consequently it was the year in which the ice was broken with regards to the establishment of a system aimed at promoting, raising awareness, accepting, collecting, distributing, storing and monitoring the disposal of collected waste medication. As the responsible party for the execution of the joint plan, Kemofarmacija, Celesio’s Slovenian wholesaler, in cooperation with collection points, transport operators and public service contractors established a network of 538 collection points where waste medication could be dropped off, including:
- 304 public and hospital pharmacies
- 60 specialised stores
- 104 veterinary stations
- 70 public service contractors’ collection centres (PSC)
Thanks to the pro-active approach of everyone involved in the project, particularly pharmacists, a number of activities have been carried out during the year aimed at encouraging and raising awareness among users of medicinal products and the general public to dispose of medication in a controlled and safe manner.
In 2010, collection centres received 29,843 kilograms of waste medication, 38 per cent of which were dropped off in PSC centres. The rest were disposed of at the locations of purchase and receipt of medicinal products: pharmacies, hospitals, specialized stores and veterinary stations. The collected waste medication represented approximately 1.5 per cent of the entire mass of medicinal products issued on the Slovene market.
Everyone participating in the project also kept a record of the quantity of all collected and dropped-off waste medication.
Thus, in 2010 the first step was made towards establishing a general culture regarding waste medication management – thanks in particular to the efforts of Kemofarmacija.
Environmental management at OCP Portugal
Picking management with mobile terminals established in all warehouses / Error rates drop by more than 50 per cent / Paper consumption reduced
Small gadget, big effect: OCP Portugal has managed to reduce picking error rates by more than 50 per cent with its mobile terminals.
analysis of the available data indicates that the key performance indicator for errors in each warehouse dropped by more than 50 per cent – to a level never before attained.
Environmental protection, increasingly a personal and organisational concern, is a principle to which Celesio’s Portuguese wholesaler adheres. Since the entire process of picking management can be done using mobile terminals, inventory management forms are no longer required and thus paper is saved. In practice, this means a real cost-savings for OCP and a gain for everyone's environmental efforts.
Along with paperless management, OCP is faced with another challenge in distribution: identifying client transport bins. This task is one that is easy to achieve at the Maia and Alverca warehouses due to OCP’s acquisition of automatic labelling machines. However, in the other warehouses this is harder to do. Based on the cost/benefit analysis of the various options, in those warehouses where there are no automatic labelling machines it was decided to continue using the picking list document only for labelling transport bins. This allows OCP to work on a paperless basis in the Maia and Alverca warehouses and to provide the conditions for doing so in any other warehouse when there is justification for the installation of an automatic labelling machine.
