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Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Initiative and Institute for Sustainable Communities Convene EHS Conference
Share Best Practices for Environment, Health and Safety in Factories
Suzhou, China – October 6, 2014 – The Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Initiative (PSCI), in partnership with theInstitute for Sustainable Communities (ISC), hosted the Business with Balance – Working Towards a Better Workplace conference on September 23-25 in Suzhou, China. Close to 150 senior managers from 55 Chinese factories participated in three days of training designed to introduce them to best practices in factory health and safety management, as well as environment, energy, labor and ethics issues.
The PSCI is a cooperative network of leading pharmaceutical companies collaborating to improve social, economic and environmental outcomes within the pharmaceutical supply chain. This includes improved conditions for workers, economic development and a cleaner environment for local communities. Executives from 10 PSCI member companies were represented at the conference.
Attendees were welcomed by senior PSCI members including Dr Birgit Isabelle Skuballa, Head of HSE Management Systems/Audits for Bayer Healthcare and PSCI Board Member; Jifu Gao, China Leader for Pfizer Manufacturing; and Steve Brooks, Pfizer’s Vice President of Global Environment, Health & Safety. Noted David Lapinski, EHS Director External Manufacturing for Bristol-Myers Squibb and Chairman of the Board for PSCI, “This conference has been a goal for many of the PSCI members as we recognize that more needs to be done for our suppliers than to just identify issues to improve. We view this training as a means to help our suppliers understand our expectations and give them assistance in learning technical requirements. We hope to repeat conferences such as this one in future and the time and resources put into sponsoring this conference is a reflection of the importance of our Chinese suppliers.”
The conference was designed to orient factory decision makers to the importance of Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) management systems, improve factory managers’ knowledge and understanding of the management and technical skills required for strong performance in labor and business ethics as well as Environment, Health & Safety relevant to the pharmaceutical industry. The conference featured experts from PSCI and the EHS+ Network, a project of the Institute for Sustainable Communities, conducting brief trainings in topics such as change management, industrial hygiene, process safety and environmental laws.
At the close of the conference, ISC’s EHS+ Network Director David Monkman spoke about the training opportunities available to attendees through the two EHS+ Centers in China, which are leading EHS training organizations in Guangdong and Jiangsu. “Investing in EHS training makes a positive difference for factory performance, in environmental impact, and for worker and community health. We welcome the efforts of PSCI in shifting the pharmaceutical supply chain towards sustainability, and we welcome all of you to partner with us for safer, more efficient factories.”
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ABOUT PSCI
The Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Initiative (PSCI) is an industry body formed by a group of pharmaceutical companies that shared a vision for responsible supply chain management, to deliver better social, environmental and economic outcomes in the communities where they buy. Current members include: AbbVie, Allergan, AstraZeneca, Baxter, Bayer, Biogen Idec, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Glaxo SmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, Merck, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Roche and West. Pharmaceutical Services. Learn more about PSCI
The work of the PSCI is being facilitated by Business for Social Responsibility.
ABOUT THE EHS+ NETWORK
ISC’s innovative EHS programs began in the heavily industrialized region of Guangdong, China, in 2009; their second Center opened in Jiangsu in 2011. Over 15,000 factory managers have been trained to date between the two Centers, each a public-private partnership that pairs international nonprofit ISC with a local host organization, and provides technical training in essential skills for EHS management and sustainability leadership. After completing the training, factory managers work to improve health and safety on the job and drive improvements in environmental health, energy efficiency, and greenhouse gas management. Hundreds of global brands have sent their local EHS managers and suppliers to the EHS+ Centers, and consider the program an integral part of achieving their global sustainability goals.