Sustainability takes teamwork

At QIAGEN, we often talk about the environment and our children’s future. Given current circumstances – the urgent need to address climate change, a virus that has caused a pandemic, is not yet fully under control and could mutate further, and now war in Europe – we are all acutely aware of how globally interconnected we are. We share a strong sense of responsibility for creating a more sustainable future for everyone.

That said, it bears mentioning that our industry has a legacy of sustainability issues. One aspect is lack of transparency, which is understandable considering the staggering costs of R&D and regulatory processes as well as the limited period of exclusive ownership of an innovation protected by patents.

Heavy reliance on plastics in drug manufacturing and packaging is a further challenge we need to collectively address. Not surprisingly, healthcare and life sciences companies typically have modest ratings on ESG, a performance framework for evaluating companies on their progress toward sustainability goals. Of course, the life sciences industry is not alone in this respect, but it must be said that we still face significant barriers to change in order to meet the expectations to our industry when it comes to sustainable innovation.

A systemic challenge

As mentioned, lack of transparency and thinking within silos are major obstacles to achieving important sustainability goals. This is embedded in the traditional structures of companies in our industry – a systemic hurdle.

Adding to this is the lack of a common framework for navigating the ESG landscape amid new regulations, investor and activist pressure as well as continuously evolving technologies and scientific knowledge on ESG-relevant topics like carbon capture, renewable energies or the Circular Economy. In fact, according to data recently collected by Julia Forbess and Ron Llewellyn of the law firm Fenwick, which specializes in advisory services for life sciences, current ESG reporting among biotech companies is limited. There is no consensus as to where and what to report in our industry ¹.

But does this have to be the case? As the cooperation on COVID-19 vaccine development clearly demonstrates, sharing knowledge often benefits all.

Sustainability is an area predestined for cooperation: all stakeholders face virtually identical challenges, with little or no risk of giving away balance sheet-critical secrets. I advocate a cross-functional and cross-industry approach that brings our contributions together in alignment with specific ESG goals. By agreeing on ESG metrics and objectives across the life sciences industry, all stakeholders can gain greater credibility and clarity. Ultimately, this resonates with the core of our vision at QIAGEN – making improvements to life possible.

Teamwork is not a silver bullet

And yet, we have to acknowledge that teamwork and cooperation are no silver bullet. All too often, the drive for consensus leads to a watering down of bold visions and agreement on the lowest common denominator – objectives that do not threaten anyone’s interests, but don’t do much good either.

That’s why the key role of individual initiative need to be emphasized. The EU response to the millions of refugees fleeing bombing and ground attacks in Ukraine is a prime example: as well-intentioned as the national- and EU-level support has been, it has often been overly complicated and time-consuming. Swift and unbureaucratic initiatives of private individuals and organizations have been instrumental in transporting, helping and housing vulnerable and, in many cases, traumatized refugees.

Three main reasons are the inspiration behind having taken on the role of QIAGEN’s new head of sustainability. First, I have two girls, and often think about the future they will have if we don’t act now. And I want to help drive that change. Second, sustainability adds value to QIAGEN. And third, I have experienced the power of teamwork – coupled with initiative – at QIAGEN. The potential of collaborative, purpose-driven teamwork in our organization and across the industry to shift from silo-based anxiety barriers to enthusiastic, collaborative action is quite exciting. As more of us embark on this ESG journey together, we can speed up the process and be more effective and efficient as a company and as an industry.

Let’s take plastics as an example. Microplastics are now found everywhere – in the water we drink, the air we breathe, the food we eat. Consequently, we can find them in our bodies and our children’s bodies. This fact is alarming and worrying. When shopping, I take this into consideration, buying cosmetics in recycled packaging, for example, or taking my own bags. Or even better, heading to the local market stands where packaging is avoided.