Joerg Reinhardt - Chairman of the Board of Directors
Published on 01/07/2021
When the going gets tough, the tough get going. No other expression captures the development of our lindane remediation project in France as aptly as this adage, whose origin is attributed to the father of US President John F. Kennedy, who was known for his perseverance and his capability to envision the impossible.
The remediation project on the doorstep of the Novartis Campus in Basel reached a point when it had to be suspended, requiring a reassessment of the entire situation on the ground by our team. They had to launch the endeavor almost from scratch two years after the remediation of the former lindane production site of Ugine Kuhlmann was started.
This was a tough time. Public criticism was strong and there was no easy solution in sight. Such things can happen, especially when they involve a project that had no precedent in the industry. While such situations may be painful, perseverance and a clear vision were paramount to navigate the challenging circumstances.
The Board of Directors was always steadfast in its decision to clean the site and open the area to the public, particularly when the situation became difficult to handle in 2013. Despite the fact that the original lindane contamination was not caused by Novartis or its predecessor companies, we felt it was our responsibility to execute this task, irrespective of the challenges.
This clear strategic guidance allowed the teams – whom I would like to thank and congratulate for the successful completion of the project – to find the necessary strength and stamina to execute the project. It not only helped them remedy the site from an engineering point of view. It also provided the teams with sufficient latitude to develop solutions with private and government partners.
The remediation team was able to regain trust with local residents living close to the site, and their approach can now serve as a blueprint for others facing similar challenges. It is for them that we have issued this publication, which does not seek to be self-congratulatory or to serve solely as a project documentation. It distills our most important lessons learned and strives to be useful for all those interested in learning more about the subject.
One key lesson for me was that culture – especially the way in which the teams handled the difficult periods – was one of the most important elements in our remediation endeavor. We kept communication lines open with the public and tried to develop the most innovative solutions to reach our goals. This allowed us to live up to our own high environmental standards and to act according to our values.
This spirit will remain with us going forward and will be the basis for all our future efforts when it comes to protecting the environment and acting as a responsible corporate citizen.
As a leading pharmaceuticals company, our mission is to improve and extend people’s lives by developing highly innovative therapies. This also includes the way we operate our manufacturing activities and handle the remediation of our production sites.
Public and patient health are our top priority, as is the protection of the environment. A world that is under pressure from climate change requires companies to have clear strategic and operative goals that are in line with global efforts to protect human health and nature.
At Novartis, we have set ourselves ambitious environmental, social and governance targets, which are part of our effort to support the United Nations in achieving its Sustainable Development Goals formulated in 2015 and which we have backed from the outset in areas such as healthcare, workplace safety, scientific innovation and climate action. As part of our environmental activities, we have established a company-wide sustainability strategy with the goal of becoming carbon-neutral in our own operations by 2025 and fully carbon-, plastic- and water-neutral by 2030. With regard to our carbon emissions and impact on the climate, our ambition is not only to cut our own emissions but also to help reduce the carbon footprint of our supply chain partners.
We fully embrace a culture in which we take responsibility for our actions and do the right thing in the interest of society, even in the face of big challenges.
The remediation of the former lindane production site of Ugine Kuhlmann was the right thing to do. It is a testimony to the fact that we are on the right track.
Joerg Reinhardt
Chairman of the Board of Directors
