Sustainability
Sustainability is about more than just CO2 reduction and energy consumption - above all, it also includes relationships. We place great emphasis on long-term relationships, be it with our employees and customers, with partners and suppliers, or with the preservation of our society. Sustainability is a key value in our company.
Sustainability is anchored in our corporate culture
We are committed to a safe and open working environment in line with our corporate culture. Our values “respectful, communicative, reliable, innovative, sustainable and entrepreneurial” reflect our attitude and guide our actions and decisions in our day-to-day business. They are the foundation of Hamilton’s corporate culture.
Our sustainability program defines four focal areas for sustainable action. At its core, the program covers the classic three areas of sustainability – people, environment, value creation – as well as innovation as the fourth area, as we aim to contribute to solving the problems of the future through innovation. In line with our vision “We drive innovation to improve people’s lives,” we make an important contribution to the development of new medicines, diagnostics and personalized medicine. Compliance with ethical principles, the integrity of both our employees and the company, and responsible conduct across all our sites and right through to the supply chain are at the core of our business activities. We aim to sustainably improve the lives of our customers.
Innovation – We Innovate for a Better Life
Our goal is to emphasize and further develop the sustainability of our products and services.
Q-Series storage systems with natural refrigerant
For refrigerated storage systems, the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of the required refrigerant is very important. The GWP indicates how many times more the refrigerant contributes to global warming than CO2. For conventional refrigerants, the GWP value is between 1,000 and 3,000. In Hamilton’s Verso Q-Series storage systems, we have developed a new type of refrigeration system that uses a natural refrigerant. This natural refrigerant has a GWP value of 3, making it up to 1,000 times more environmentally friendly than conventional refrigerants.
3D print instead of milling
FLUOREYE is a small, channel-based fluorescence measurement device for integration into our pipetting platforms. Previously, the FLUOREYE’s cases were milled out of an aluminum cuboid, which resulted in a lot of waste. Instead of milling 90% of the volume out of an aluminum cuboid, we decided to manufacture the cases from scratch using a 3D printer. This not only saves electricity, but also generates much less waste. The small size of the final product means that significantly more units can be delivered to our subsidiaries and customers per trip compared to large plate readers.
12 tons less plastic
Previously, tubes for Hamilton Medical’s flow sensors were supplied coiled on plastic drums. These disposable drums cannot be used elsewhere. Thus, within a year, countless accumulated as residual waste. Together with our supplier, we found a solution that does not require a drum. This not only enabled massive savings in freight volume and CO2 emissions, but also a reduction in annual plastic waste of 12 tons.
Environment – We Cultivate a Conscious Use of Natural Resources and Protect the Environment
When it comes to strategic goals relating to environmental protection, climate protection is at the top of our list and we want to do our part to prevent the worst effects of climate change. We are committed to the Science-Based Targets Initiative and have set ourselves the following targets by 2030, starting from a base year of 2020:
We commit to reduce our emissions in the different sectors by up to 52 % by 2030 compared to the 2020 baseline.
Our photovoltaic systems
At our sites in Switzerland and Romania, we cover part of our electricity requirements with photovoltaic systems. We also use groundwater to heat and cool our buildings and avoid the use of air conditioning wherever possible.
In 2022, this enabled us to generate over 430,000 kWh of clean energy in Switzerland and a further 121,310 kWh in Romania. The new building in Domat/Ems will also be equipped with a photovoltaic system on the roof and facades. Further in 2023, an additional photovoltaic system will be installed at our headquarters in Bonaduz. An expansion of the system in Romania is currently being planned. These photovoltaic systems will bring us a step closer to our goal of producing as much of our own energy as possible.
Optimization of logistics processes
At our site in Domat/Ems, the central high-bay main warehouse for 13,000 pallets is currently being built. The new main warehouse will replace the intermediate warehouses distributed throughout Switzerland and thus lead to massively fewer transport movements within the company overall.
People – We Care for Our Employees and Are Committed to Society
Improving the health of people around the world drives us. To achieve this ambitious goal, we depend on motivated, talented and satisfied employees. Attractive working conditions, the opportunity to develop and an appreciative approach are central to this, because it is easiest to work in a motivating environment. We offer our employees comprehensive services and benefits that contribute to good and attractive working conditions.
In addition, Hamilton Medical is committed to enabling medical teams to provide the best possible ventilation – to every patient, everywhere. We support various social initiatives around the world with donations in kind and our expertise.
Our green canteen in Switzerland
Employees are a company’s most valuable resource, and health is everyone’s highest asset. We attach great importance to healthy nutrition with local products and seasonal fruits and vegetables. For a long time now, vegetarian and vegan dishes have been part of our standard menu. Of course, meat lovers will also find something on our menu, but we make sure that the meat comes exclusively from local farms.
The ecological aspect also plays an important role: biogas is produced from food waste and we have reduced the use of plastic to a minimum by switching from PET bottles to tap water, for example. Paper cups for hot drinks are also history. Everyone has their own bottle or cup, which we provide.
Intensive care units with 10 beds
With nearly 1.4 billion inhabitants, India is one of the most populous countries in the world. The health situation, particularly in rural areas, has always been a challenge: in addition to a significant shortage of intensive care beds, there is also an acute shortage of medical staff. We are partnering with an NGO in India that has set a goal of establishing a 10-bed intensive care unit for each of India’s 300 rural districts. Hamilton Medical is the sole supplier of ventilators for this project, which we support with several hundred ventilators on a non-profit basis.
Value Creation – As a Family Business, We Are Focused on Long-Term Success
It goes without saying that we comply with the applicable laws and other legal regulations in every country in which we operate. It is the responsibility of each and every employee, including management, regardless of location or line of business, to comply with all applicable laws and codes of conduct and all other Hamilton policies.
CO2 reduction targets
The Hamilton companies have committed to the CO2 reduction targets of the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). SBTi is a globally recognized standard for companies that voluntarily commit to ambitious climate protection targets, with around 6600 companies currently participating. More details on the targets set for 2030 are available in the news article.
UN Global Compact
The UN Global Compact is the world’s largest sustainability initiative for businesses, calling on them to align their strategies and operations with universal principles and take actions that advance societal goals. The Hamilton companies have been participants of the UN Global Compact since 2023 and have committed to incorporating ten principles into our strategies, policies and procedures. With our commitment, we are also making a contribution to achieving the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In particular, Hamilton focuses on SDG 3, to ensure healthy lives and improve well-being for people of all ages. This goal is at the heart of our business activities and is also anchored in our vision “We drive innovation to improve people’s lives”.
Sustainability rating
In order to continuously improve its own sustainability performance, Hamilton Bonaduz AG decided to work with EcoVadis in 2022 to improve its sustainability performance. The Ecovadis assessment model measures various factors along the four thematic areas of environment, labor and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement and thus represents a universal sustainability rating in which all dimensions of sustainability are included. The assessment is conducted annually and maps improvements but also possible weaknesses in the processes.
Training and further education
In order to remain one of the most successful innovation drivers in the dynamic environment of the healthcare industry, we continue to develop on a daily basis. A large part of our corporate success is based on the knowledge and experience of our employees. We also take this knowledge to our customers in the form of our products and services, and create value there as well. The key to quality for all employees lies in lifelong learning, which we actively support at Hamilton. That’s why we value diverse training as well as a variety of continuing education and individual development opportunities. With our training and development programs, we want to train good specialists for tomorrow and thus counteract the shortage of skilled workers.
Apprenticeship at Hamilton
Every year, around 20 new apprentices start their training at Hamilton in Switzerland in one of eleven apprenticeship professions. The step from school to working life is an important one – we accompany our apprentices with a lot of experience, knowledge, heart and humor. The apprentices learn something new every day, grow with their exciting tasks and are optimally equipped for their professional life.