Novo Nordisk, Schwarzenegger and Nobel Sustainability Trust celebrate sustainable solution

The top sustainable solution will be awarded the first ever Sustainia Award on October 11, 2012.
Oct 11, 2012 10:00 AM ET

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, October 11, 2012 /3BL Media/ - Today, Novo Nordisk joins Sustainia partners when former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will announce the winner of the first Sustainia Award in front of an audience of more than 1,000 people at the Royal Theater in Copenhagen.

The award is a new global sustainability initiative honouring sustainable, innovative solutions and ideas. Backing the award is Sustainia, an international alliance of organizations and companies including the Nobel Sustainability Trust, the United Nations Global Compact, DONG Energy, DNV, Realdania and Novo Nordisk. As a founding partner, Novo Nordisk serves on Sustainia’s Board of Directors.

Joining Schwarzenegger on the stage tonight is former Prime Minister of Norway, Gro Harlem Brundtland and EU Commissioner Connie Hedegaard, members of the committee behind the Sustainia Award. Brundtland and Hedegaard represent extensive experience and significant impact on the global sustainability agenda.

“The Sustainia Award reinforces and demonstrates a shared vision for a healthy and resilient planet with healthy and resilient people. It shows that as citizens, businesses, governments and global organisations, we can each make active contributions to a healthier, more sustainable future,” says Lise Kingo, executive vice president, Novo Nordisk.

Executive Director for Sustainia, Laura Storm, acknowledges the contribution from Novo Nordisk to the Sustainia alliance.

“It’s an honour to have Novo Nordisk involved in Sustainia as one of our key partners. It is essential to the quality of Sustainia’s work that we collaborate with global frontrunners willing to share their R&D and know how to develop clear cases and arguments for sustainability. We want to work with the organizations and companies that represent the potential for real committed change. These companies possess knowledge that will inspire other companies to do more,” says Laura Storm.

New Sustainia Sector Guide - Building

Early this week, Sustainia released a sector guide at the 2012 Building Green Expo in Copenhagen detailing the benefits of sustainable construction and renovation. The sector guide is built on seven specific and well-documented benefits of sustainable construction, including increased productivity, improved health, growth, energy savings, converted waste into resources, community improvement and a better return on investment than traditional construction.

The sector guide is focuses on four specific audiences: Building owners, investors, planners and policy makers. The guide is available for download at: http://www.sustainia.me or Sustainia’s facebook page: facebook.com/Sustainia.

Sustainability at Novo Nordisk

Novo Nordisk is a global healthcare company with 89 years of innovation and leadership in diabetes care. The company also has leading positions within haemophilia care, growth hormone therapy and hormone replacement therapy. Headquartered in Denmark, Novo Nordisk employs approximately 33,300 employees in 75 countries, and markets its products in more than 190 countries.

Novo Nordisk strives to conduct its activities in a financially, environmentally and socially responsible way. The strategic commitment to corporate sustainability has brought the company onto centre stage as a leading player in today’s business environment, recognised for its integrated reporting, stakeholder engagement and consistently high sustainability performance. In 2012, Novo Nordisk received the top ranking on Corporate Knight’s list of Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations. Novo Nordisk is listed in the 2011/2012 Dow Jones Sustainability Indices with a gold class rating. For more information, visit novonordisk.com/sustainability.