Biogen, based in Cambridge, Mass., has been named the biotechnology industry leader on the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) for the second year in a row, after becoming the first U.S.-based biotech company to make the list in 2013. The company also was named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index North America for the sixth consecutive year, one of only three biotech companies included.
DJSI World tracks the economic, environmental and social strategy and performance of the 2,500 largest companies in the S&P Global Broad Market Index. Of the 317 companies that were named to DJSI World, Biogen led the biotechnology industry, scoring in the 100th percentile on 17 of the 24 overall evaluation criteria, including those addressing patient access to treatments, environment and innovation.
“The same intellectual discipline and rigor that drives our science is reflected in our corporate citizenship,” said George A. Scangos, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Biogen. “Our industry leadership on the DJSI World is a testament to our company’s commitment to patients, the environment, our employees and the communities where we work and live.”
Biogen improved its DJSI score from last year on 11 specific environmental, social and economic indicators. Those indicators are climate strategy, addressing cost burden, health outcome contribution, labor practices and human rights, occupational health and safety, social reporting, stakeholder engagement, crisis and risk management, supply chain management, innovation management and customer relationship management.
Biogen also announced this year that it has become carbon neutral, meaning the company has effectively neutralized all of the carbon emissions associated with its business.
Biogen publishes an annual Corporate Citizenship Report based on internationally recognized Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G4 Guidelines. In its most recent report, the company outlined a set of aggressive goals for 2020. Those goals include reducing greenhouse gas emissions and water use intensity by 80% (compared to its 2006 baseline and normalized by revenue) and driving down its “days away case rate,” by 80%, a widely recognized indicator of occupational safety performance. The company also is working to achieve zero waste-to-landfill status after keeping 99% of its waste from landfills since 2012.
