Nancy Warfield, a Customer Service Coordinator in our Diagnostics Division, takes our responsibility to the environment seriously.  She identified the opportunity and spearheaded an initiative to compost paper waste from hand towels, diverting this waste away from landfills. Even though it fell outside of her role, Nancy led the project, working with our recycling program supplier, coordinating a new process with our maintenance team, and leading an internal awareness campaign to educate employees.

“It’s important to take care of our planet,” she says. “It doesn’t matter how environmentally conscious we are as a company. There are lots of little things that we can do to to improve. These small changes add up to have a big impact over time.”  

Nancy’s interest in reducing our company’s environmental impact was inspired by a colleague who worked in the Safety, Health and Environment group within Diagnostics. As a result of this relationship, she has become more conscious of her impact at home and at work.

“I think people are more aware of things like recycling, garbage, and water use at home,” says Nancy. “Offices can be big contributors to waste and it’s easy to lose sight of the impact you have collectively because other people remove the waste and you don’t see the bills. But if we put processes and policies in place, we all work together to create a healthier planet.”

Health is at the heart of everything we do at Roche and this commitment extends to protecting the environment. We take the same science-based approach that we use to develop our medicines and diagnostics, and apply it to ensuring we have environmentally-friendly workplace and business practices.

As a global company, ourallows us to expand our business while minimizing our ecological footprint. Foras the most sustainable healthcare company globally by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI). We’re constantly striving to find solutions to important environmental challenges.

We established new sustainability targets in 2015, which drive our efforts every day at Roche Canada. These priorities represent the areas we believe we can have the greatest impact:

Achieving these targets means incorporating eco-friendly practices in every aspect of our business. Within our offices we are dedicated to maximizing our waste diversion from landfills and use comprehensive programs to sort waste, recycling, and organics, which are supported by programs to encourage employee participation and action. Our on-site cafeterias use locally-produced and sustainable ingredients where possible. Automatic light and dimming features limit our energy use. Water-efficient fixtures reduce our water usage, and water bottle fillers throughout the building limit the use of plastic bottles. Both of our sites have no ozone depleting refrigerants in our air conditioning systems. Our Pharmaceuticals Division building has achieved LEED gold certification - a international program that recognizes best-in-class green building practices - and has won numerous eco-focused awards in construction, design, and real estate.

To minimize the impact of travel, we offer carpooling programs and flexible work arrangements for office-based employees. We have a best-in-class car fleet with eco-friendly options like hybrid and diesel vehicles. Onsite telepresence and video conference technology to reduce impact of required flights, and where air travel is necessary, we promote greener options when booking flights.

Our commitment to environmental stewardship extends beyond our doors. We partner with like-minded organizations to ensure that our focus on sustainability is reflected in all areas of our business. Sustainability is embedded in our procurement process for key contracts and suppliers and Roche globally is affiliated with the United Nations Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Initiative (PSCI), a group of pharmaceutical and healthcare companies who share a vision of better, social, environmental and economic outcomes in the communities where we buy.

For the past 15 years, Tanya Bendo - our Pharmaceutical Division’s Director of Safety, Health, Environment, and Corporate Services - has been responsible for sustainability at our Mississauga location. “The vision and support of our leadership, and the dedication of our employees have made our efforts a success. We’ve met our targets and reduced our environmental footprint while continuing to grow in size.” she says.

We work every day to leave the world better than we found it. While we set the bar high and continue to rise to the challenge, we always look for opportunities to foster innovation and promote health and well-being.