Key environmental figures

Data from Apodoc, Lifestage Solutions and Spagyros as well as heat consumption of the Pharmacies Service Unit and the Galenica Group headquarters are not included. Since 2021, the fuel consumption of the company's own company vehicles has been included (except Service Unit Pharmacies).

Increase in energy consumption due to broadening of the data basis

In 2021, the Galenica Group’s total energy consumption – both within and outside the organisation – amounted to 65,439 MWh (235,582 GJ). The increase of 9% compared with the previous year is due to the broadening of the data basis. In 2021, the fuel consumption of all the companies’ own service vehicles, with the exception of the Service Unit Pharmacies, was included for the first time. Without this expansion of the data basis, energy consumption would have decreased by 1% compared to the previous year. Total energy consumption (in MWh) per full-time equivalent increased by 9%. Compared to the previous year, the intensity of energy consumption in relation to Group net sales in the 2021 financial year decreased by 2%. Absolute energy consumption at the Galenica Group has increased by 37% since 2017 as a result of the Group’s growth and the aforementioned broader data parameters. Energy consumption outside the organisation includes fuel from contracted drivers. 44% of energy consumption within the organisation comes from renewable sources such as hydropower and photovoltaics and around 56% from non-renewable sources such as heating oil, natural gas, diesel and petrol.

Electricity and fuels as the main energy sources

Electricity and fuels are Galenica’s main energy sources. Electricity accounts for 41% of total energy consumption both within and outside the organisation. In 2021, electricity consumption amounted to 26,589 MWh. All operational and administrative locations of the Galenica Group obtain hydroelectric and photovoltaic electricity only. At the pharmacies’ sales premises, the choice of energy source can only be influenced to a very limited extent since virtually all of the premises are rented.

50% of the energy used in 2021 came from fuels. Around half of this fuel consumption is attributable to the Group companies’ own delivery and service vehicles, and the other half to contracted drivers. The fuel consumption of the Group’s own delivery fleet fell by 1% in 2021. Fuel consumption by third-party vehicles rose by 3% compared to 2020. Galenica covers the remaining 9% or so of its energy requirements with fossil-fuel based heating oil and natural gas. The Galenica Group’s heating requirements fell by around 11% compared to the previous year (heating oil -16% and natural gas -10% compared to the previous year). The reduction in heat consumption is partly attributable to the conversion of the Bichsel Group’s production area. This resulted in production being at a standstill for an extended period of time. In addition, Galexis was able to reduce natural gas consumption thanks to the installation of a heat pump at the Niederbipp site.

Does not include data from Apodoc, Lifestage Solutions and Spagyros. Scope 3 includes the CO_₂ emissions of the contract drivers of Galexis, Alloga and Pharmapool.

Increase in CO₂ emissions

The CO₂ emissions caused by energy consumption are calculated using scientific emission factors (Swiss greenhouse gas inventory of the Federal Office for the Environment). In 2021, the Galenica Group’s emissions amounted to 12,127 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents (tCO₂e), which is 15% more than in the previous year. This increase is due to the fact that the fuel consumption of the Group’s own vehicles has been included in the data in 2021 for the first time ever. Without this data expansion, CO₂ emissions would have decreased by 1% compared to the previous year. Emissions per full-time equivalent are 15% higher than in 2020. The intensity of CO₂ emissions in relation to Group net sales 2021 increased by 4% compared to the previous year. Compared to 2017, emissions increased by 51% as a result of the growth of the Galenica Group and the expansion of the underlying data. Goods transport of Group and contracted drivers is the main source of direct and indirect CO₂ emissions at Galenica. In 2021, 6,623 tCO₂e were released, corresponding to around 55% of Galenica’s total CO₂ emissions.

Data from Apodoc, Lifestage Solutions, Spagyros, Verfora and the Galenica Group headquarters are not included. Data for pharmacies are estimates.

Almost half of waste is recycled

In 2021, the total weight of waste for the Galenica Group was 3,321 tonnes, an increase of 17%. This is mainly due to the increased amount of waste produced by the Bichsel Group as a result of the renovation which took place in the reporting year. The weight of waste per full-time equivalent has increased by 17% compared to 2020. There are only estimates of waste data available for the pharmacies. The volume of the waste they generate accounts for around 33% of the total volume of waste generated. 84% of total waste was non-hazardous (mainly refuse from operations, cardboard, paper and plastics), while the remaining 18% was classified as hazardous waste (mainly medicines). 41% of waste was recycled, 43% was incinerated and 16% destroyed at a specialist facility for hazardous waste.

Water

The Galenica Group’s water intake in 2021 was 1,074,854 m³, with 4% coming from the municipal water supplies and 96% from groundwater. The groundwater is not consumed but returned to the groundwater flow. Alloga, Galexis and Unione use the groundwater for the heating and cooling cycle, either extracting heat or using it for cooling. In addition, water plays a central role in Bichsel’s production processes. Data on water withdrawal is to be reported for the first time in 2021.

Data on environmental impact

As a rule, the key environmental figures cover all companies of the Galenica Group. The environmental data for Spagyros, Apodoc and Lifestage Solutions, which have only been part of the Galenica Group since mid-2021, is not included. However, this data is to be collected from 2022 onwards. Heat and electricity consumption data for Verfora is not yet included, as no information is currently available due to the office space rented. However, this environmental data should be available from 2022, as Verfora moved to a new building at the end of 2021.

The total energy consumption of the Galenica Group includes heat and electricity consumption as well as the fuel consumption of Group company vehicles and contract drivers. Fuel consumption between 2017 and 2020 only includes the consumption of Galenica’s own delivery vehicles and the contract drivers of Wholesale & Logistics and Bichsel. Galenica reports the diesel consumption of the contract drivers of Galexis, Pharmapool and Alloga (estimated or measured data in tCO₂e) as the greatest indirect source of consumption. Since 2021, the fuel consumption of all the Group companies’ own service vehicles has been included for the first time, with the exception of the Service Unit Pharmacies. The consumption data on waste and disposal includes municipal and hazardous waste as well as recycling. Since 2021, the water withdrawal of the Bichsel Group, Mediservice and the Service Unit Wholesale & Logistics has been reported for the first time, as only this data is currently available.

In the Service Unit Wholesale & Logistics, the energy and waste consumption data of all companies is included in the evaluation; these are the Burgdorf, Niederbipp, Lausanne-Ecublens, St. Gallen, Widnau and Barbengo-Lugano sites. With regards to Pharmapool, no heat is consumed thanks to the heat pump, the operation of which is factored into the electricity consumption.

The Service Unit Healthcare includes the energy and waste consumption of Medifilm, Mediservice and the Bichsel Group. The environmental data of the Bichsel Group has been reported since 2020. Due to the billing period of Medifilm's heat consumption during the year, only estimates based on last year's consumption data are available for the reporting year.

For the Service Unit Products & Marketing, the fuel consumption of Verfora’s and Winconcept’s own service vehicles is included. Winconcept’s electricity consumption is included in the data for Galenica’s main building in Bern.

For the Service Unit IT & Digital Services, the electricity consumption of the Geneva site and estimates of the electricity consumption of the St. Sulpice site are included. The electricity consumption of HCI Solutions at the head office in Bern is included directly in the head office data. Heat consumption data for the Geneva and St. Sulpice sites is available as estimates.

For the main building of the Galenica Group in Bern, only data on electricity consumption is available and included. Due to the billing period for heat consumption during the year, no consumption data is currently available for the reporting year.

Data on electricity consumption and municipal waste is available for the Service Unit Pharmacies. For Amavita, Sun Store and Coop Vitality, these are estimates based on a representative sample of 20 pharmacies. Almost all premises are leased, which is why only the annual costs for electricity are provided for each location, and not the actual electricity consumption. The electricity consumption of the Amavita, Sun Store and Coop Vitality pharmacies is estimated based on electricity costs in the year under review and the average electricity prices per region according to the Federal Electricity Commission (ElCom). The heat energy consumption at the pharmacy locations cannot currently be estimated based on the available data from running cost statements and is therefore not listed.

As Galenica is continuously optimising its environmental indicator system and is gradually expanding its system limits (due to the primarily inorganic growth of the company), data can only be compared to a limited extent from year to year. In 2018, Galenica reviewed the CO₂ conversion factors of Myclimate and had them extended to CO₂ equivalents (CO₂e). Since then, Galenica has only used the CO₂e unit. The previous years have been adjusted accordingly.

The calculated CO₂ emissions include both direct and indirect energy-related emissions. According to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, direct sources of emissions include the production of heat for buildings and the operation of the vehicle fleet (= Scope 1). The largest indirect sources of emissions are the production of purchased electricity (= Scope 2) and the logistics services of contracted drivers (= Scope 3).