AstraZeneca’s sustainability approach to emerging companies
Extending AstraZeneca’s sustainability approach to emerging companies
AstraZeneca’s BioVentureHub is more than an innovation hub—it’s a sustainability accelerator for life science and sustaintech innovators. By repurposing and sharing infrastructure, expertise and ideas, the BioVentureHub supports the sustainable growth of smaller companies. This catalyzes future health solution opportunities and supports sustainable ecosystems for healthcare.
Moreover, with a sharper focus on attracting sustaintech companies and research, the BioVentureHub offers a unique environment where companies can co-locate, scale and innovate while integrating sustainable business practices.
Leveraging AstraZeneca’s sustainability framework
BioVentureHub companies gain a competitive edge through access to AstraZeneca’s sustainability initiatives which are designed to support and promote access to healthcare, environmental protection and ethics & transparency. These include:
· My Green Lab certification: BioVentureHub companies can participate in the My Green Lab certification program, gaining customized sustainability training and coaching to reduce environmental impact and enhance operational efficiency.
· AstraZeneca sustainability training: BioVentureHub companies have benefited from focused training sessions with AstraZeneca teams, e.g. Procurement, to align on and share knowledge about sustainability.
· 100% renewable energy usage: The BioVentureHub facilities at the AstraZeneca Gothenburg site are powered 100% by renewable energy, ensuring sustainable business operations.
· ISO 14001 certification: Companies benefit from a certified environmental management system, ensuring compliance with global sustainability standards.
· Waste management and recycling programs: Advanced waste reduction strategies, such as reducing single-use plastics and recycling programs, help companies minimize environmental impact.
· SmartMover mobility program: With 140 charging stations for electric vehicles, the SmartMover initiative promotes sustainable travel.
Although many startups and scaleups lack the resources to embed sustainability into their business models, these initiatives form part of an environment where emerging companies can adopt sustainability best practices from the start.
Here are just a few examples:
Antaros Medical: A data-driven sustainability leader
Antaros Medical, a BioVentureHub alumni company specializing in imaging solutions to facilitate decision making in drug development, has embedded sustainability into its business strategy.
The company’s commitment includes sustainability reporting, reducing Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions and nurturing environmental responsibility in daily operations.
Christina Moberg, Antaros Medical:
“We acknowledge that we are still in the early stages of our sustainability journey, but that is exactly how we approach it – as a journey. Sustainability is a long-term commitment that touches every aspect of our work, offering continuous opportunities for improvement and innovation.”
“Our sustainability journey began during our time at the BioVentureHub and we are grateful for all the sustainability support and training facilitated by the BioVentureHub team. Initiatives like the Lead in Sustainability Accelerator Program, hosted by AstraZeneca, have been instrumental in shaping our approach.”
Antaros Medical has been awarded a silver medal twice in the Ecovadis sustainability ratings. Read more about Antaros Medical’s sustainability journey here.
Nyctea Technologies: Water and chemical efficient innovations
Nyctea Technologies exemplifies how the BioVentureHub accelerates sustainability-focused innovations. By developing water and chemical efficient purification methods, Nyctea’s technology addresses a critical sustainability challenge in pharmaceutical manufacturing. Being part of the BioVentureHub enables Nyctea to collaborate with AstraZeneca’s scientists and access state-of-the-art infrastructure, accelerating its development toward large-scale implementation.
Hanna Tranchell, Nyctea Technologies
“At Nyctea, sustainability is the highest priority. With the help of the My Green lab certification through the BioVentureHub, we are now confident that we can lead the way towards environmentally responsible biopharmaceutical production. The My Green Lab program gave us insight into various areas where we can make significant improvements. It has been eye-opening to see how much we can do to reduce our environmental impact."
Read more about Nyctea Technologies here.
Kromnigon: Structured sustainability evaluations
Kromnigon has embraced environmentally conscious lab practices thanks to the BioVentureHub’s collaboration with My Green Lab. Their efforts to thoroughly evaluate various aspects of their lab operations have raised environmental awareness within Kromnigon and had a positive impact on relationships with business partners.
Per Fogelstrand, Kromnigon
“Connecting with other companies during the My Green Lab journey was truly inspiring. Together, we brainstormed shared challenges and exchanged ideas to make our labs greener. I gained new insights into sustainable lab practices that don’t always come up in day-to-day work. This experience has been both educational and motivating, sparking ideas for future improvements that go beyond certification.”
Read more about Kromnigon here.
Driving sustainability in life science:
BioVentureHub’s collaboration with My Green Lab
My Green Lab certified BioVentureHub community members from 2024.
In its mission to advance sustainable life science, AstraZeneca’s BioVentureHub has partnered with My Green Lab, a global leader in sustainable laboratory practices. This collaboration empowers lab-based companies within the BioVentureHub to reduce their environmental impact, improve operational efficiency, and adopt best practices in sustainability—transforming the future of healthcare innovation.
A customized sustainability certification program
Through a customized sustainability program co-developed by AstraZeneca, My Green Lab and the BioVentureHub, participating companies receive training, expert guidance, and tailored sustainability support. After an eight-month journey of workshops, process improvements and shared learnings, numerous BioVentureHub companies have proudly achieved high-level My Green Lab certification, widely recognized as a gold standard for laboratory sustainability.
“Working with the BioVentureHub My Green Lab certification program has given us a structured framework to systematically review and enhance our practices, ensuring that we adopt and maintain a sustainability mindset in all aspects of our lab operations.”
Dmitri Ossipov, Oligonova Hub.
“The opportunity to work with My Green Lab by piggybacking on AstraZeneca is a great benefit for us as it gives us access to tools to work with our environmental footprint in a stepwise process where we, as a small organization, can find structure and focus on one process at a time through a guided framework.”
Rickard Wahlström, Scantox.
Creating shared value for innovation and the planet
Beyond individual company success, the program fosters a community-driven approach to sustainability. BioVentureHub companies regularly share best practices, learn from one another and collaborate with My Green Lab and AstraZeneca experts.
“Labs at all our R&D sites are now My Green Lab certified. Working with My Green Lab has provided us with a framework and expertise to continuously improve the environmental sustainability of our labs. It feels very rewarding to be able to share good sustainability practices more widely with the BioVentureHub companies.”
Besiana Alite, Chief Operating Officer, Biopharma R&D at AstraZeneca
A Catalyst for sustainable innovation
The BioVentureHub’s collaboration with My Green Lab highlights the intersection of sustainability and innovation, supporting the growth of emerging life science companies while promoting sustainable business models. As the demand for environmentally conscious healthcare solutions continues to grow, this partnership contributes to ensuring that emerging life science companies can scale responsibly, benefiting people, society, and the planet.
With My Green Lab certification now embedded into and contributing to the BioVentureHub’s sustainability strategy, the future of life sciences is greener, more efficient and more impactful than ever before.
“Thanks to collaborative efforts at the AZ BioVentureHub, My Green Lab certification has been an enjoyable journey. The certification process provided a structured approach to thoroughly evaluate various aspects of our laboratory operations. Working with My Green Lab has raised the environmental awareness within Kromnigon and resulted in a more organised laboratory with a significantly reduced environmental impact.” Per Fogelstrand, CEO Kromnigon.
Per Fogelstrand continues; "Thanks to collaborative efforts at the AZ BioVentureHub, My Green Lab certification has been an enjoyable journey. The certification process provided a structured approach to thoroughly evaluate various aspects of our laboratory operations. Working with My Green Lab has raised the environmental awareness within Kromnigon and resulted in a more organised laboratory with a significantly reduced environmental impact.”
Related information:
· BioVentureHub collaboration with My Green Lab
· BioVentureHub companies achieve My Green Lab certifications
AstraZeneca Sustainability applyed by BioVentureHub
How we operate at the BioVentureHub supports sustainable ecosystems for healthcare that benefit people and our planet through science-based innovations, specifically in the three following areas:
Access to healthcare
All companies within the BioventureHub use their capabilities to make the most meaningful impact where society needs it- Health and wellbeing . Which also is one of the 17 UN sustainability development goals “ good health and wellbeing.”
The BioVentureHub business model is founded on the belief that by sharing access to the existing infrastructure , services, permits and big pharma expertise and experience:
- we support the growth of SMEs in the life science community, and
- catalyze future health solution opportunities
Environmental protection
AstraZeneca has set very ambitious sustainability targets and through its Ambition Carbon Zero programme, aims to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from their sites and fleet by 2025 and become carbon negative across their entire value chain by 2030.
Via the unique location in the heart of AstraZeneca R&D site in Gothenburg, this allow SME to have direct benefits of the AstraZenecas sites sustainability initiatives, including:
- AZ Gothenburg site use 100% renewable energy
- ISO 14001 certified
- Waste management
- Recycle paper hand towels
- Programmes to reduce disposable plastics
- SmartMover project, e.g. 140 charging stations for our electrical cars
Ethics & transparency
By committing to the BioVentureHub lease agreement, BioVentureHub companies sign up to AZ ethical policies.
There are also a range of initiatives to support the BioVentureHub communities own sustainability strategies, such as:
- Seminar and workshops
- Sustainability coaching
- Network/exchange experiences best practices
- My Green Lab Certification
Read about how AstraZeneca are taking action to drive sustainability
- for health of people, society and the planet. Click here.
Want to learn more about how we can Grow Sustainable Innovation Together?
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