Management of Impacts and Risks Related to Waste
As part of our double materiality assessment, we have identified a material negative impact for our upstream value chain and own operations due to the manufacture of products that could lead to the generation of nonrecyclable waste that must be disposed of and can contribute to the scarcity of resources.
Policies related to waste [E5-1]
To manage our waste-related impacts, we have established fundamental requirements in our own operations and those of our partners in the value chain.
Promoting waste management through the Health, Safety, Environment (HSE) Management and HSE Key Requirements Policy
Our Health, Safety, Environment (HSE) Management and HSE Key Requirements Policy describes our approach to dealing with waste-related impacts by taking into account comprehensive waste management practices. The policy addresses the shift away from the use of new resources by giving precedence to waste avoidance, promoting recycling wherever possible, and ensuring the safe and environmentally compatible disposal of unavoidable waste, which in turn increases the relative use of recycled resources as a whole.
According to our policy, waste generation is to be avoided wherever possible. The policy deals with the waste hierarchy, which establishes an order of priority for the management and disposal of waste, including the recycling and reuse of materials. The policy does not explicitly deal with the subjects of sustainable procurement and the use of renewable resources. For more information on our Health, Safety, Environment (HSE) Management and HSE Key Requirements Policy, please see the section “Holistic policies for managing material sustainability matters [MDR-P]” in Chapter A 4.1 General Information on the Sustainability Statement.
Compliance, sustainability and safety through our Waste Management Policy
Waste management is a key environmental factor for all our activities. For this reason, our Waste Management Policy establishes further guidelines and proven processes geared toward achieving a standardized approach for waste management in all our operations, including:
Ensuring compliance with local regulations, international conventions (such as the Basel Convention) and our internal targets and expectations regarding sustainability
Establishing preferred Bayer minimum standards to achieve globally standardized waste management practices, which is especially important if the local legal requirements are less stringent or explicit
Providing guidelines for waste hazard classification and risk management
Cultivating a waste-hierarchy-based approach for evaluating and selecting waste management methods for our waste
Describing our preferred standards for providers of waste services
Professional management of risks to health, safety and the environment is the key to avoiding unjustifiable risks that can lead to serious personal injury and environmental damage. As the reduction of health, safety and environmental risks is heavily regulated in many countries, adequate health, safety and environmental risk management ensures compliance with legal regulations, prevents operational disruptions and protects our reputation.
Implementation of this policy is ensured by local site and plant management within the scope of our country organizations. It is primarily addressed to our employees involved in waste management, and therefore is only accessible internally. The policy covers the management of operational waste from its generation to its final disposal and ensures compliance with local laws and international agreements. Wherever applicable local regulations or laws go beyond the standards of the policy, the legal requirements take precedence. The policy applies worldwide to site management, health, safety and environment functions and all responsible parties. Exceptions include radioactive waste, which must be disposed of according to special rules, and wastewater destined for treatment plants. Compliance with the policy is ensured through HSE audits. The Basel Convention and the EU reference documents for the best available technologies (2010/75/EU) were taken into account in the implementation of this policy.
Preserving resources through the Bayer Supplier Code of Conduct
The Bayer Supplier Code of Conduct deals with the conservation and use of natural resources and highlights the preservation and protection of natural resources such as energy, water and raw materials. It addresses our impact on resource depletion due to the manufacture of products in our upstream value chain and emphasizes the importance of preventing resource depletion through the reinforcement of environmentally responsible and resource-efficient practices.
According to the Bayer Supplier Code of Conduct, suppliers shall prevent the exploitation, destruction or neglect of natural resources. Suppliers shall implement management systems to identify and mitigate environmental impacts in their operations and along their value chains. In addition, suppliers shall ensure the continuous performance of their environmental management system, as well as to encourage and apply circular economy practices. Suppliers shall make all necessary efforts to ensure the safe and legally compliant handling, storage, transportation, reuse, recycling and disposal of all types of solid and liquid wastes. For more information on the Bayer Supplier Code of Conduct, please see the section “Holistic policies for managing material sustainability matters [MDR-P]” in Chapter A 4.1 General Information on the Sustainability Statement.
Actions related to waste [E5-2]
Our actions related to waste pertain particularly to effective waste management and the conscious handling of contrast agents.
Management of waste-related impacts by our waste management
We pursue a comprehensive approach to the management of waste-related impacts in accordance with our Health, Safety, Environment (HSE) Management and HSE Key Requirements Policy, our Waste Management Policy and the Bayer Supplier Code of Conduct. Our operational actions include:
Inventory management:
Keeping a current inventory of all waste streams, including detailed information about the name, description, source, volume, composition, hazard classification, and final treatment and disposal of each type of waste
Audits:
Implementing a global internal HSE audit program based on the international ISO 19011 standard
Assessing suppliers’ sustainability performance with regard to implementing the Bayer Supplier Code of Conduct. Suppliers are assessed either on site through an audit conducted by independent auditors or using an online assessment by EcoVadis (an external provider of sustainability assessments). We also conduct supplier audits using PSCI and TfS audit approaches, as well as using internal audit protocols. Results are internally analyzed and, if necessary, corrective actions are proposed by the supplier, the implementation of which we monitor in order to improve the supplier’s sustainability performance.
Waste management and environmental protection:
Separating waste types, as appropriate, and not mixing incompatible wastes; identifying nonhazardous waste and keeping it separate from hazardous waste to avoid unnecessary generation of hazardous waste through mixing and to promote nonhazardous waste recycling
Treating or disposing of unavoidable waste/emissions in a safe and environmentally compatible way
Developing and implementing plans for preventing, monitoring and dealing with contamination incidents that are commensurate with the risk and the volume of materials handled on site
Selecting the final treatment of waste, taking into consideration the waste hierarchy by considering landfilling as the least desirable method and giving preference to energy recovery through waste incineration where feasible
Establishing and pursuing site-based environmental targets and programs to reduce the environmental burden, with progress being monitored, reported and documented
Our most important measures are implemented worldwide at our sites to ensure standardized waste management. As these actions are continuous activities, they are integrated into our ongoing operations and not implemented according to a fixed schedule. Every production site has its own HSE officers who are responsible for safety, prevention and causal analysis, including allocation of the necessary budget. Sustainability assessments are required for strategically important suppliers and those identified as having a high sustainability risk. The frequency of audit intervals is determined based on suppliers’ performance.
Global implementation of waste management measures
In accordance with our Waste Management Policy, our globally implemented measures encompass detailed waste management plans at every site, continuous risk assessments, the involvement of the employees and robust infrastructure management to effectively reduce environmental impacts. Each site-specific plan comprises a description of the waste management process according to a waste hierarchy, an up-to-date waste inventory, compliance with operating permits and legal requirements, and compliance with our internal standards, as well as site-specific targets and initiatives to improve waste management practices. As these actions are continuous activities, they are integrated into our ongoing operations and not implemented according to a fixed schedule. To ensure implementation, every production site has its own HSE officers whose responsibilities include the allocation of the necessary budget.
Sustainable and conscious handling of contrast agent residues
In connection with the avoidance of resource depletion and fostering of recycling, we have implemented the “re:contrast” initiative. The proper disposal of contrast agent residues protects the environment and conserves natural resources. Through our re:contrast initiative, we support our customers by collecting contrast agent residues from their medical facilities and recovering iodine and gadolinium from the residues for future use. As part of the re:contrast program, we take back product residues of our iodinated contrast agent Ultravist™ and our gadolinium-containing contrast agent Gadovist™ from our customers. By returning iodine and gadolinium to the value chains, we can help reduce the need to extract new iodine and gadolinium from the ecosystems. Recovered iodine-based contrast agents are sent back to our production facility, where the iodine compound is removed and returned to the supplier. Recovered gadolinium-based contrast agents are also sent back to our production facility, and from there to an external partner that recovers and reuses the obtained gadolinium. The initiative is a continuous activity that is not implemented according to a fixed schedule. We offer the re:contrast initiative to our customers in various European countries. Further details of the initiative are available on the website of Bayer Vital in Germany.