Vetter Joins Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi)

A leading global CDMO continues to drive its sustainability strategy forward

• Elevate commitment to CO2 accounting in accordance with globally recognized greenhouse gas protocol

• Achieved ecovadis Platinum status: Vetter is among the one percent most sustainable companies worldwide

• Sustainability goals are backed up with concrete measures of success

Vetter, a leading globally operating Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO), has joined the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) membership group as of November 2023. The goal of the companies in the SBTi is to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, thus representing the strictest climate protection targets for companies worldwide. As a result, Vetter has committed to the 1.5 degrees of global warming target. To this end, the CDMO has presented a sustainability strategy with concrete steps to take through 2030, in which the effects of the planned dynamic growth related to CO2 emissions are already factored in. With the commissioning of the new photovoltaic plant and the conversion of another existing combined heat and power plant to biogas, both at its Ravensburg Center for Visual Inspection and Logistics, Vetter is already taking important steps towards Net Zero in 2023.

According to Henryk Badack, Senior Vice President Technical Service and Internal Project Management, being responsible for the company's global sustainability activities, "Many measures that other companies are only now implementing, such as 100 percent green electricity, are already part of our daily routine. We invest continuously to make energy-intensive production processes more efficient and to gradually switch to climate-friendly forms of energy. Joining the SBTi is therefore the logical next step for us: we are making it even more transparent for our customers and partners that we want to achieve Net Zero and how we intend to do it.”

By joining the SBTi, the company is not only committing itself to ambitious climate targets. It is taking the added step of implementing uniform monitoring and reporting standards for CO2-relevant processes according to the specifications of the international Green House Gas (GHG) Protocol. In its current sustainability report, Vetter has already recorded part of its Scope 3 emissions and reported the CO2 balance according to the GHG protocol. Henryk Badack added, "By joining SBTi, we commit ourselves to annual reporting and their validation. In this way, we make our measures to reduce our carbon footprint even more transparent and traceable while contributing to fully sustainable supply chains."

Investing in climate-friendly energy generation

Pharmaceutical production is energy-intensive, and the conversion to renewable energies is correspondingly complex. Vetter has been investing in the development and expansion of the local infrastructure for sustainable energy generation over the past several years. In 2023, the company invested approximately one million euros in the installation of a large photovoltaic (PV) system on the roofs of its state-of-the-art warehouse in Ravensburg, as well as a six-figure euro investment in the conversion of a natural gas heat and power plant. Since then, only biogas has been used. The PV plant will generate around 700,000 kWh of renewable energy per year. This corresponds to about 10 percent of the energy consumption at the site. This results in a reduction of about 330 tons of CO2 per year, while the conversion to biogas will save about 1,000 tons of CO2 per year.

ecovadis Platinum Status

Vetter is a leader among CDMOs in the field of sustainability. In the globally recognized ecovadis ranking, the CDMO recently received Platinum status and is thus among the top one percent of the most sustainable companies. Among the decisive factors for the improvement from Gold to Platinum status were the company's further developed initiatives for sustainable supply chains – spanning from measures for supplier assessment to risk analyses in the area of environment and human rights. Vetter's role as an active member of the UN Global Compact (UNGC) as well as its continuous sustainability reporting also paid off in receiving the excellent rating.

Steadfast Commitment

Recently, the company was once again awarded the Top Climate Commitment 2024 seal by FOCUS Magazine, which puts Vetter on the recommendation list for companies that are particularly ambitious in their commitment to the climate. In November, the CDMO also received the Environmental Management Award 2023 in the category "Best Strategy for Sustainable Corporate Development". This prize is awarded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection. Vetter convinced the jury with its integrated management system, which forms a sound basis for holistic sustainability management and encompasses both the ecological and economic as well as the social pillars in the company.

You can download the current Vetter sustainability report here.

Approximately 1,700 photovoltaic modules have recently been producing sustainable energy on almost 6,500 square meters of roof surface.

©Vetter Pharma International GmbH

For high resolution please click the images.

The Vetter press kit and additional background information are available in the press area.

About SBTi

The Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) is a global organization that enables companies to set ambitious climate targets. These are based on the current results of climate research. The initiative focuses on putting companies worldwide on track to halve their emissions by 2030 and become climate neutral by 2050. SBTi is a joint initiative of the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), the United Nations Global Compact, the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF).

About Vetter

Vetter is a leading Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) with headquarters in Ravensburg, Germany, and production facilities in Germany, Austria, and the U.S. As a global player, the pharmaceutical service provider is also present with its own sales locations in the Asia-Pacific markets of Japan, China, South Korea and Singapore. Around the world, small and large renowned pharma and biotech companies rely on the decades of experience, high quality, modern technologies, reliability, and commitment of more than 6,000 employees. In close partnership with its customers, the Vetter team supplies patients all over the world with medicines, many of which are vital. The CDMO provides support from drug product development through clinical and commercial filling to a wide range of assembly and packaging services for vials, syringes, and cartridges. With innovative solutions, Vetter develops prefilled drug-delivery systems together with its customers to continuously improve patient safety, comfort, and compliance. The company is a pioneer in the industry when it comes to sustainability, and acts as a socially and ethically responsible corporate citizen. The CDMO is a member of the UN Global Compact, has received multiple CDMO Leadership Awards and was awarded several times as Best Managed Company. Founded in Ravensburg in 1950, the company remains family-owned to this day.