Updated: October 28, 2008
Amgen has several programs directed toward reducing dependence upon scarce or nonrenewable resources. Target areas include conservation of energy and resources, waste reduction and recycling, and preference for recycled or renewed products instead of new materials. Highlights from successful programs around Amgen sites demonstrate the range of this commitment. For additional stories of how staff have made a difference, click here.
Global Utilities Team Guides Comprehensive Energy Reduction Program
In 2008, Amgen’s Global Utilities Team developed a comprehensive three-year plan outlining capital improvements that would lead to reduced energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. When fully implemented, the projects are estimated to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 12,000 metric tons per year, the equivalent of removing 3,370 cars from the road. Annual gross savings in energy costs are projected to be greater than $2 million.
Projects already underway and delivering results include:
Said Bob Bradway, executive vice president and Amgen CFO, “The team presented an energy reduction program that spanned several years and will ultimately result in improved energy efficiency and sustainability for Amgen. In addition, the money saved will provide funding for future improvements and help lower the overall manufacturing cost for our products.”
Puerto Rico Kicks off Extensive Reforestation Project
As part of the celebration of Earth Day 2008, Amgen Manufacturing Limited (AML), Puerto Rico, initiated an aggressive reforestation plan that will enable the company to plant 1,800 trees along the Gurabo River’s shores in the next three years, said Glynda Harrington, director, Environment, Health and Safety (EHS), at AML, and José Martínez, AML Environmental Compliance manager.
In the first phase, AML will plant 400 trees, including 15 native species, at the site’s Northern area, close to the manufacturing buildings. This will help avoid erosion and sedimentation by the Gurabo River in order to eventually extend planting to other surrounding areas, possibly towards the interior of the site. Martínez explained that this aggressive reforestation plan is part of AML’s efforts to move towards a green culture and improve efficiency in operations so that they are sustainable and environmentally friendly.
The Earth Day event was attended by Javier Rúa, the Undersecretary of the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, who praised Amgen’s work for its effective communication with the government and its handling of the natural resources. Rúa said that AML’s effort is aligned with a government plan, “Verdor 100 X 35” (a reference to Puerto Rico’s size), which aims to grow 4 million new trees on the Island in the next 25 years.
Smart Irrigation System at Amgen Colorado Helps Conserve Water
Amgen’s Longmont Colorado facility is located in a semi-arid location, where drought conditions can be common and water is precious. To conserve water, staff researched ways to reduce the water used in irrigation. The result was a reduction of more than 8 million gallons of irrigation water in 2007 compared to 2006. The installation of a “smart” irrigation system to monitor weather conditions and adjust watering schedules contributed to the reduced water use.
“First we looked at existing irrigation patterns and found that our daily watering patterns resulted in flooded planters and death of some landscaping plants. There had been no effort in the past to schedule water use appropriate to need, so we knew this was a good place to start,” said Curt August, senior manager, Maintenance, ACO Facilities.
In addition to scaling back daily water use, ACO brought back the original landscape architect to identify the actual water needs of different plants. Identifying plants that were able to grow with reduced or even no irrigation water was helpful in setting up a watering schedule. As a result of the analysis, some native plants now receive no irrigation water and survive on rain water.
To achieve further water conservation, the site installed a weather monitoring system that measures rainfall, humidity and temperature. Based on these measurements a software program performs calculations and signals to the irrigation system when to water. The system was enabled in August of 2007 and is continually fine-tuned to minimize irrigation water use.
The results of the irrigation water reduction project were presented by the site’s infrastructure group to the City of Longmont in February 2008.
“In the meetings, city officials suggested that Amgen could serve as a model to other businesses trying to achieve the same results and conserve water resources,” said Bob Edson, director, ACO EHS.
Reduced Ethyl Alcohol Use at Amgen Colorado Pays Off for Manufacturing and the Environment
As part of a program designed to improve operations, Amgen Colorado (ACO) modified manufacturing processes to use less ethyl alcohol (EtOH) during EPOGEN® (Epoetin alfa) manufacturing. The first EPOGEN® lot produced using the new process saved more than $11,000, and additional savings of more than $100,000 are expected in 2008. The savings reflect both the reduced cost of purchasing EtOH and the reduced cost of disposing of EtOH waste.
EtOH is a component of a buffer used in the purification stage of EPOGEN® manufacturing. With thorough analysis, the staff verified how much EtOH was needed for each lot of EPOGEN®.
“We looked at historical records and determined the pattern of EtOH use over the past 1½ years,” said Steve Spiegel, senior engineer, Longmont Manufacturing. “The team determined they could reduce the amount of buffer by 15 percent and, with the new batch size, needed 5 percent less raw material. Finally, the team verified that the new process met GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) requirements.”
The project also benefits ACO’s goal to join the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Environmental Performance Track (P-track). P-track members are recognized for their environmental excellence and efforts in P2, the EPA initiative that recognizes efforts to modify production processes and reduce or eliminate waste.
“We contributed EtOH waste disposal data to manufacturing in order to demonstrate the project’s potential benefits,” said Debra Pickett, senior associate, EH&S. “But the project also satisfies the EPA’s P2 goals to reduce, reuse and recycle, and will be highlighted in our P-track application at the end of 2008.”
Concluded Mike Huss senior manager, Longmont Manufacturing, ACO, “It was rewarding for everyone involved to realize that we helped Amgen save money and protected the environment by reducing waste.”
Rhode Island Selects Amgen as Model for Commercial Recycling
When Rhode Island officials needed a company to hold up as an example of commercial recycling, they came to Amgen.
“The state has a big push for commercial recycling now, and they needed to highlight a company that’s doing it right, so they asked us,” said Jim Rawley, associate, Environmental Health and Safety at AmgenRhode Island (ARI).
In January 2008 DEM officials visited ARI to showcase the company as a model of what other companies could achieve. DEM references Amgen as a model in print and broadcast media and in conversations with other companies. As a result, other companies are now visiting ARI to learn how to implement a successful recycling program.
“Amgen is an example of what should be done, and probably goes beyond what should be done,” said Terrence Gray, assistant director for Air, Waste and Compliance at DEM. “Amgen sets the standard, and our hope is that other companies will follow suit.”
About 60 percent of the refuse in state landfills is recyclable, according to the DEM. But Amgen is doing its part and more. In fact, last year ARI recycled 1.9 million pounds of material from approximately 50 different waste streams (17 streams are mandated by current state regulations). Good for the environment, yes. But it also helped reduce Amgen’s solid waste disposal costs by $50,000, according to Rawley.
“Many companies think that it costs money to recycle. But a well-managed recycling program can actually save money,” Rawley said. “In most cases, Amgen is now paying less per ton to recycle materials than if these same materials were sent to the landfill. In some cases, we actually receive payment or credit for our waste.”
Kimball Hall, vice president and general manager, ARI, said recycling to this extent produces benefits that far outweigh the challenges. “We want to be a good corporate citizen. Recycling is good for Amgen, and good for Rhode Island. I appreciate that our staff is so conscientious about their recycling habits.”
Bike to Work Events Highlight Benefits of Bike Commuting
Amgen supports a variety of programs, incentives and events that make it easier for staff to learn about and adopt more environmentally-friendly transportation.
In spring and summer 2007, Amgen Thousand Oaks, Amgen Colorado and Amgen Washington sponsored Bike to Work activities to highlight the benefits of bike commuting.
In Thousand Oaks, California, Amgen staff were invited to participate in a pilot bicycle commuting program. The event drew an average of 140 riders each day. In addition to the existing bike lockers, showers and changing facilities, riders were offered safety tips, a lunch voucher for each day they rode and free bike maintenance.
Jerry Jayne, Medical Research Manager, Oncology Supportive Care and founder of the Amgen Cycling Club in Thousand Oaks said, “This is a great start to what we hope will be a long-term program here at Amgen. We estimated that about 40 to 50 percent of riders were not cycling club members, but Amgen employees looking for an easier way to commute in to work.”
In Longmont, Colorado, staff not only participated in Walk/Bike to Work Week starting June 27, but were encouraged to leave cars at home during the warm weather and high ozone months while the site sponsored a Summer Clean Air Challenge — "Make a Change for Climate Change."
During Walk/Bike to Work week, 181 participants covered 4,951 miles by bike or other human-powered means. Rob Harsh, manager of Environment, Health and Safety at Amgen Colorado, calculated that the site’s participation saved 5,754 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions.
In Seattle, Washington, Amgen staff participated in a number of National Bike Month activities designed to reward regular bike commuters and motivate others. Amgen teams were invited to participate in the West Coast 2007 Group Health Commute Challenge. Staff were also invited to a brown bag lunch featuring Bill Thorness, author of a guidebook to the region’s major bike routes.
“We want to show Seattle that people at Amgen are not only healthy, but concerned with global warming and the environment,” said Seattle team organizer Michael Trentalange, senior associate scientist, Cell Science and Technology.
Amgen Scientists Develop Environmentally Safe, Cost-Effective Pipette Tip Decontamination System
Amgen British Columbia’s (ABC) antibody generation group in Burnaby developed a unique, home-grown pipette tip sterilization system that enables aseptic liquid-handling and screening while reducing the use of disposable pipette tips by almost 99.9 percent.
ABC’s antibody generation group uses robots with 96 channel pipette heads to transfer cells and media to and from the wells on 96 and 384 well plates. Normally, in order to prevent contamination, new pipette tips are fitted for each plate that is processed.
Stefan Sonderhoff, ABC principal scientist, Research,
invented a new system combining ozone and ultraviolet light to wash and sterilize the pipette tips. This system has enabled them to reuse the same set of pipette tips for weeks without contamination — and without having to throw out “tons of plastic waste.”
Each year ABC processes tens of thousands of plates on their robots and in 2006 the new process avoided plastic waste amounting to 8,500 kg with a cost savings of $208,000.
Amgen Libraries’ Electronic Resources Help Reduce Waste and Costs
The Amgen Libraries are committed to providing staff with global accessibility to key scientific and business resources in electronic format. As part of this effort, the library has grown its e-journal collection from two e-journals in 1997 to approximately 800 e-journals today.
In addition, the Amgen Libraries offer a growing collection of books, reference materials, journals, daily newspapers and magazines — in electronic format.
Document delivery is almost entirely paperless. In fact, 86 percent of all documents delivered are in electronic format.
“Our mission is to deliver premium content, including scientific literature and business information to staff globally,” notes Charilynn Clayton, director, Amgen Libraries. “Increasing access to these resources electronically over the last decade has made accessibility even easier for staff, and it helps us support a key commitment Amgen has made to be an environmentally responsible corporate citizen.”
Waste Reduction Programs Recognized by EPA
In 1994, Amgen’s Thousand Oaks headquarters adopted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) voluntary WasteWise program, which provides guidance and recognition to companies working to reduce municipal solid waste and improve financial performance. Since joining, Amgen has been honored more than once by WasteWise — most recently in 2006 with a Partner of the Year Award for most improved waste reduction. Amgen’s efforts have delivered dramatic results. The Thousand Oaks headquarters has consistently lowered the trash cost per person year after year — from $102 in 1993 to only $16 in 2005. Innovative programs include recycling materials from a building demolition, donating unwanted supplies and equipment to community organizations such as schools and nonprofit groups, and purchasing paper products that meet or exceed EPA guidelines for postconsumer waste content. Other notable achievements at Thousand Oaks include:
Other Amgen sites, including Fremont, Rhode Island and Puerto Rico, also have significant recycling and waste prevention programs.
Wastewater Conservation Program Saves Water and Cuts Cost
Water is used throughout biotechnology manufacturing — to grow cells that synthesize the protein precursors to drug products, to filter the proteins out of the cell growth solution, and to clean equipment once a drug is made. To minimize the environmental impact of its water use, Amgen has extensive water conservation systems operating at its manufacturing sites in Rhode Island and in Puerto Rico. Company engineers designed a process that recycles wastewater at the 1,200-staff Rhode Island plant and reduces water use by as much as 130,000 gallons a day. In 2008, Amgen Puerto Rico reused approximately 60 percent of its water, over 5 million gallons per month, with its state-of-the-art water treatment plant. The Puerto Rico site anticipates reusing a greater percentage in the near future. Not only do the Company’s water conservation systems cut water use, they cut costs. In both Rhode Island and Puerto Rico, water that once went down the drain is reused in utilities, mainly as cooling tower makeup water.
Green Building Program Reaps Energy Conservation Award
During the design and building of the Company’s Helix Campus in Washington, which opened in 2004, designers, builders and stakeholders made a conscious effort to install energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly elements in the interior design, building facilities and landscaping. In 2005, the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce honored the Helix campus with a BEST (Business for an Environmentally Sustainable Tomorrow) Award for energy conservation and honorable mentions for water conservation efforts and environmental leadership. Energy Conservation Measures (ECM) at Amgen’s Helix Campus save approximately 7,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of energy per year, equivalent to the amount of energy used by approximately 678 Seattle households.
