永續發展｜百靈佳殷格翰生產用水的管理行動Every drop counts

百靈佳殷格翰位於聖庫加特（Sant Cugat）的生產基地（距離巴賽隆納僅 15 分鐘山路的郊區），正面臨水資源短缺的問題；缺水已成為該設施首要面對的問題。水與能源部門資深經理（Senior Manager for Water and Energy at Boehringer Ingelheim） Vasileios Markantonis 博士說：「沒有乾淨的水，我們無法生產任何東西。」

「安全的取得潔淨水資源是持續生產的關鍵；水在製藥過程和設備運作中，都扮演著非常重要的角色。」

從水危機到水資源管理

緩慢且難以察覺，但日益嚴重的氣候變遷現象，迫使百靈佳殷格翰需解決日益嚴重的水資源問題。乾旱持續延長，洪水頻繁發生，並引發大規模野火，這不僅威脅環境，還危及百靈佳殷格翰運營所在的全球社區中，人們和動物的生命與健康。

水資源短缺已成為百靈佳殷格翰生產工廠面臨的特殊挑戰。這不是我們單打獨鬥能解決的問題。

要解決水資源短缺的問題，必須採取全社區和區域性的解決方案，同時解決各集水區的供應問題 — 這些區域是指地表雨水流入單一排水系統的區域，包含河流、盆地或水庫。

這種方法被稱為水管理（water stewardship）。

Markantonis 博士解釋：「我們需要更加可永續地的利用水資源。這是唯一的出路。即使是目前擁有充足水資源的地方，在 30、50 年或 100 年後可能也會面臨水資源匱乏的問題。對一些地下水庫來說，恢復再生可能需要數百或數千年的時間。」

這是百靈佳殷格翰積極保護潔淨水資源，並在我們所有運營的社區減少水足跡的原因。

百靈佳殷格翰推出的 More Green 環境計畫中的一部分，就是減少生產廢水中的藥物含量與抗生素抗藥性，來達成 100% 保護潔淨水資源的目的。

Markantonis 博士解釋道：「我們從整體的角度看待用水問題，釐清問題根源 — 從水源到用水終點考慮整個用水循環 — 並採取更負責任的行動方案。」

全面性的水資源管理

百靈佳殷格翰是水資源管理聯盟（Alliance for Water Stewardship，AWS）的成員。 AWS 是一個獨立的非營利組織，創建了 AWS 標準。 AWS 被視為水資源緊張地區企業水資源管理的領先標準。它是唯一考慮現場和整個流域用水狀況的認證，主張多方利益相關人合作 — 包含政府、企業、環境組織和當地社區。百靈佳殷格翰是第一家生產基地通過 AWS 標準認證的製藥公司。

Markantonis 博士說：「 AWS 認證改變了水資源管理的遊戲規則，我們如今已在位於嚴重缺水地區的生產基地實施 AWS 標準。」

百靈佳殷格翰目前有五個生產基地位於水資源風險較高地區，包含：墨西哥索奇米爾科（Xochimilco）、美國弗里蒙特（Fremont）、西班牙聖庫加特（Sant Cugat）、希臘科羅皮（Koropi）和中國上海。目標是 2030 年所有生產基地都可以取得 AWS 認證。

Markantonis 博士補充說明：「我們同時也在評估所有生產基地的水風險，即使目前狀況處於正常，未來還是有潛在的水風險。」

墨西哥：製藥業的榜樣

百靈佳殷格翰在墨西哥已經經營約 50 年，擁有 1,200 名員工；這裡的製藥基地已經展現了改善水資源管理所帶來的正面效益。

索奇米爾科（Xochimilco）是墨西哥著名的水上花園和運河所在地，隨處可見色彩繽紛的貢多拉船載著遊客，沿著阿茲特克建造的龐大水運系統遺跡行駛。索奇米爾科，意思是「鮮花生長的地方」，過去是墨西哥的半農村地區，現在面臨著地下水位下降、運河消失、都市貧困程度加劇和非法居住的問題，如今有  78% 面積的區域被指定為生態保護區和禁止露營區。

五年前，百靈佳殷格翰決定讓索奇米爾科製藥廠成為世界上第一個取得 AWS 認證的製藥基地。索奇米爾科環安衛經理 Marcela Gutierrez 說：「隨著 AWS 開放給製藥業參與認證，這是我們勢在必得的項目。」

AWS 標準的實施改善了現場用水的情形，也促進墨西哥谷流域內利益關係人之間的合作。 Gutierrez 微笑補充道：「我們希望成為榜樣，向其他社區成員示範，更永續的行動和 AWS 認證並非不可能的任務。」

加州：無所不在的乾旱

加州弗里蒙特工廠，位於索奇米爾科東北處約 3,500 公里，是百靈佳殷格翰在美國唯一的生物製藥研發與製造生產基地。高級經理 Shayla Bergeron 即在此任職。

過去十年內，加州時常發生大規模的乾旱，水位持續創下歷史新低，近百萬的居民被迫減少乾淨水資源用量。Shayla 說明：「這種情形令人非常難接受，沒有簡單或者明確可採用的解決方案。但我們清楚知道，我們要更努力，好讓我們可以成為解決方案的一部分。」

弗里蒙特工廠每天減少使用 40,000 公升的水

2022 年，弗里蒙特工廠成為百靈佳殷格翰第二間獲得 AWS 認證的工廠。實施水管理對廠區的用水績效有諸多益處。例如，透過提高冷卻水塔的運作效率，每天可節省超過 40,000 多公升的水。

同時，除了與在地水利部門合作之外，百靈佳殷格翰團隊也舉辦志工活動，用以吸引並教育舊金山居民。 Bergeron 補充說明：「我們的目標是減少並精簡用水量，同時引發有意義的對話與思維，進而帶來積極正面的變化。」

西班牙：持續為減少水足跡努力

場景回到西班牙，在經歷多年的乾旱挑戰後，百靈佳殷格翰位於聖庫加特的製藥生產基地，自 2023 年初以來已成功減少 16% 的用水量，並從生產過程中回收 24,476 立方公尺的潔淨水。聖庫加特環安衛與永續發展主管 Monica Sanchez 說明：「遵循 AWS 標準，我們看到了支持整個流域地區未來得以永續發展的潛力，並讓我們在面對未來的改變時更具彈性。」

Markantonis 博士總結道：「永續水資源管理非常重要。不僅是為了環境，也是為了企業。」

Every drop counts

Catalonia, Spain, is a place known for its beautiful architecture, a rich mix of cultures, pleasant weather and incredible food.

Today, it is also where access to water has become an increasing challenge. In 2020, the area declared a regional climate emergency. By early 2024, Catalonia had suffered 1,000 consecutive days of drought, leading to record low water levels and staggering costs for the government. Broadly speaking, Spain is now facing the threat of desertification across large parts of its territory.

At the Boehringer's production site at Sant Cugat – a suburb just 15 minutes over the hills from Barcelona – the challenges of water scarcity are real, pushing the issue to the top of the facility's agenda. “Without clean water, we cannot produce anything,” says Dr. Vasileios Markantonis, Senior Manager for Water and Energy at Boehringer Ingelheim.

“Secure access to clean water is vital for continued production; water plays such an important role both in the production of pharmaceuticals and the operating of the facilities.”

From water crisis to water stewardship

Slow, often hard to detect, but increasingly rapid climate change is forcing the company to address mounting water issues. Droughts are lasting longer, floods happening more often and wildfires proliferating in their wake. This threatens the environment, as well as the lives and health of people and animals in the communities around the globe where Boehringer operates.

Water scarcity has become a particular challenge at the Boehringer's production plants. These are not problems one company can solve alone.

They demand a community-wide and regional approach that can only be solved by also addressing supply issues across catchment zones – the area from which surface rainwater flows into a single drainage system, be it a river, basin or reservoir.

This approach is known as water stewardship.

“We all need to use water resources more sustainably,” explains Dr. Markantonis. “There is no other way. Even in places where we currently have enough water resources, water scarcity might hit in 30, 50 or 100 years. For some ground water reservoirs, it can take hundreds or thousands of years to regenerate.”

That is why the company works actively to protect clean water and further reduce our water footprint in all communities where we operate.

Boehringer Ingelheim is committed to 100% protection of clean water by mitigating pharmaceuticals in wastewater from production and combating antimicrobial resistance, as one part of the company's MORE GREEN environmental program.

“We look at water use holistically, recognize the problem and take action to be more responsible – considering the entire water use cycle from source to end,” Dr. Markantonis explains.

100 % Boehringer Ingelheim is commited to the protection of clean water.

A holistic water management approach

Boehringer is a member of the Alliance for Water Stewardship, an independent non-profit organization that has created the “AWS Standard”. This is considered today to be the leading standard for corporate water stewardship in water stressed regions. This is the only certification that considers water usage both on-site and across entire catchment areas; and advocates for multi-stakeholder collaboration, including governments, industries, environmental organizations and local communities. Boehringer is the first pharmaceutical company to certify a production site with the AWS Standard.

“The AWS certification has been a gamechanger for water management, and we are already implementing the AWS Standard in production sites that are located in catchments with high water scarcity,” says Dr. Markantonis.

To date, five of the company's production sites are located in areas with high water risk: Xochimilco (Mexico), Fremont (California, USA), Sant Cugat (Spain), Koropi (Greece) and Shanghai (China). And work is currently underway to have all sites AWS certified by 2030.

“In addition, we are continuously evaluating the water risk at all our sites,” Dr. Markantonis adds. “Even if things are currently under control, there is always potential for water risks in the future.”

Mexico: Setting an example for the pharmaceutical industry

One can already recognize the effects of improved water stewardship at the company's 50-year-old production site in Mexico, where 1,200 employees work.

Xochimilco is home to the famous floating gardens and canals of Mexico City, where colorful, gondola-like boats carry tourists along the remnants of a vast water transport system built by the Aztecs. Xochimilco, which means “where the flowers grow”, is a once semi-rural district of Mexico's capital city which suffers from shrinking water tables, disappearing canals, rising urban poverty and illegal encampments in an area where 78% of the area is designated as ecological reserves and a sanctuary for North American migratory birds.

Five years ago, the company decided to make the Xochimilco facility the first pharmaceutical production site in the world to receive an AWS certification. “As AWS opened up for pharmaceutical industry, it was an easy decision,” says Marcela Gutierrez, Xochimilco’s Environment, Health and Safety Manager.

Implementation of the AWS Standard has led to improved water usage on site and the fostering of increased collaboration between stakeholders within the Valley of Mexico catchment basin. “We want to be a role model and show other community members that more sustainable behavior and AWS certification is possible,” Gutierrez adds with a smile.

California: Getting involved to tackle the omnipresent drought

Approximately 3,500 kilometers northeast of Xochimilco, is Boehringer's only biopharmaceutical development and manufacturing production site in the United States, and there Shayla Bergeron, Senior Manager Environment, Health and Safety for the Fremont, California facility, is located.

In the last decade, California has seen extensive droughts, record-low water levels, and reduced clean water access for nearly one million residents. “The situation is unsustainable, there are no easy or obvious solutions. But we know we need to step up and ensure we are part of that solution,” Shayla explains.

> 40,000 l water saved per day in Fremont.

In 2022, the Fremont site became Boehringer's second facility to be granted an AWS certification. Implementation of the water stewardship standard has benefited the site's water performance in various ways. By improving the operational efficiency of its cooling tower, for example, the site estimates a saving of more than 40,000 liters of water per day.

Meanwhile, in addition to collaborating with local water authorities, the team is engaging and educating San Francisco Bay Area residents through organized volunteer events. “Our goal is to reduce and streamline water usage, but also ignite meaningful conversations that can lead to positive change,” Bergeron adds.

Spain: Ongoing efforts to reduce water footprint

Back in Spain, following the drought challenges of recent years, the company's production site at Sant Cugat has managed to cut water usage by 16% since the beginning of 2023 and recovered 24,476 m3 of clean water from production processes. “By following the AWS principles, we see the potential to support a more sustainable development in the whole catchment area and make us more resilient for the future,” says Monica Sanchez, Head of Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability at Sant Cugat.

“Sustainable water management is crucial. Not only for the environment, but also for the business,” sums up Dr. Markantonis.