Producing green electricity is a significant step toward reducing AstraZeneca’s impact on the environment.
In 2011, we reduced energy use and CO2 emissions in the United States by 27 percent. One significant 2011 project was the installation of 7,300 solar panels at our Wilmington site, producing energy equivalent to about 10 percent of the campus’ office building electricity use. It will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1,200 metric tons per year. The project is the third, and by far, largest solar project on the Wilmington campus, with the first two installed in 2004 and 2008. In addition, an electric car charging station was installed on the south campus of the Wilmington site.
Our commitment to reducing energy use across our Westborough, Mass., Newark, Del., and Waltham, Mass., sites earned these buildings the 2011 Environmental Protection Agency EPA Energy Star certification. As a member of the EPA Green Power Partnership, AstraZeneca purchased renewable energy certificates in both 2011 and 2012, investing in offsite wind energy.
In 2011, AstraZeneca built upon the early success of its 2010 Clean Diesel Technology Pilot Program by adding more than 100 clean diesel sedans and wagons, bringing the total number of vehicles in the pilot to more than 125. The Clean Diesel Technology Program has already saved the atmosphere over 200 tons of CO2 emissions when measured against its baseline gasoline vehicle counterpart. Additionally, more than 80 field sales representatives selected a new hybrid vehicle as their replacement car.
We again earned the EcoLeadership Award from the Alliance for Workplace Excellence in 2011 because of our emphasis on environmental sustainability in energy efficiency, waste minimization and management, pollution prevention and water conservation.
As we move ahead, we continue our efforts to meet our 2015 global targets to reduce dependence on natural resources and to use them even more efficiently. We will also continue to support both the EPA Energy Star Program through building and plant certifications and the Green Power Partnership by investing in offsite wind energy in the form of renewable energy certificates.