For Florian Bombard no is not an answer.
Published on 08/03/2021
Florian Bombard hardly looks like a rebel. No visible tattoos, stylish haircut or freakish clothes. But the medical scientist from the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research has many traits that characterize unruly minds: a strong sense of justice, a distrust of the status quo and an untiring energy to change things. In his case: the way the pharmaceuticals industry manages resources.
All of this started during his previous employment in France, when he lost his sense of purpose and questioned the handling of natural resources. During the period, “I clashed with my manager and finally reached a point when I said, ‘No more,’” Bombard remembers. This was more than 11 years ago and triggered a prolonged phase of soul-searching.
His concern for nature, for the fate of the next generations and his thoughts about sustainability deepened when his oldest daughter was born and he joined Novartis in late 2008. “I spent years thinking about the way we work in the lab,” Bombard says, recalling the time he tried to understand and formulate his inner calling. “I started to read more and wrote down my ideas during every single train ride from Strasbourg to Basel for three years! It was a deeply personal journey, which allowed me to strengthen my convictions and find my own way.”
Grassroots movement
At Novartis, however, Bombard did not clash with his colleagues. On the contrary, he was able to put his ideas – which also led him to found a private urban composting venture – into action and create an environmental movement, which has the capacity to change how the company executes research and produces drugs.
It all started in a biology lab back in 2012, when Bombard, after having come to terms with his inner calling, openly criticized the fact that some 80 percent of the uncontaminated waste produced in the lab where he worked as a biologist consisted of plastic, which at the time was simply thrown away. Intent to change this, Bombard asked the building manager if he could install a container on the floor and in the waste collection room of the building to get rid of the material.
“As soon as those containers were there, I began convincing my colleagues to join my recycling efforts. And their reaction was positive across the board,” Bombard told live back in 2016, when the magazine focused on the volunteering efforts of Novartis associates across the globe.
Some of the colleagues who joined him early on in his efforts were Frédérique Lafossas, Stephanie Pickett and Benjamin Martin, among many others, with whom Bombard created the Basel Green Team, a so-called Employee Resource Group, in which associates come together voluntarily to develop and promote the vision, goals and values of Novartis. Worldwide, there are several dozen such teams, including groups focusing on cancer care and mindfulness training.
Within a short period of time, dozens of associates joined Bombard and Lafossas, who started looking into new solutions to reduce waste and help Novartis become more energy-efficient. Among the many projects which the group promoted was a carpooling venture, allowing commuters to the Basel headquarters to share their cars with colleagues. Currently, a scale-up of the venture to other Novartis sites is being discussed.
