Everyone in the world should be equal and should be entitled to the same opportunities. At Janssen, we find it important that everyone can actively participate in society. Decent work can make an important contribution to this. 

How? With our project ‘Maatwerk Ondersteuning Proefdierenverblijf’ we give people with limited access to the labor market a meaningful job that matches their capabilities. In parts of our company, including the laboratory animal enclosures, we employ people with a mental disability for routine tasks. In this way, we create around 20 meaningful jobs for people who would otherwise find it difficult to find work. 

With whom? In this project, we have been working together with A-Kwadraat for 20 years. This company offers adapted, rewarding and meaningful work to more than 500 people who find it difficult to enter the labor market. Together, we regularly look at how we can further improve our collaboration, for example by expanding the range of tasks of A-Kwadraat employees.  

Achieve good health for everyone necessitates a good infrastructure, that is sustainable and environmentally friendly. This requires new solutions of the highest technological and ecological quality. To achieve this, we continuously implement innovative solutions. 

How? We make the production of our medicines more sustainable, for example with the use of so-called ‘continuous manufacturing’ techniques. Traditionally, the production of medicines in the pharmaceutical industry is done in a batch process, in which a finished batch or quantity of a product is manufactured each time. For some of our products we have made the transition to a continuous production technology: the production keeps going and we can monitor and adjust it continuously. This enables us to reduce waste and environmental impact and to lower process risks, all the while maintaining existing product quality. Furthermore, we now also have the flexibility to produce larger or smaller quantities to meet changing demands. 

With whom? To make our infrastructure more sustainable, we collaborate with various parties, including policy makers, regulators, academic institutions, and other companies. 

Inequality within countries has increased in recent years. Economic growth must be inclusive. In other words, everyone must be involved. When we talk about economic growth, we must also pay attention to the social aspects, such as the distressing health condition of people with intellectual disabilities. 

How? We join forces with Special Olympics to give athletes with an intellectual disability in the Netherlands and Belgium access to the same care and support that athletes without a disability enjoy. With our contribution we help reduce inequality. Special Olympics is an organization for people with an intellectual disability. In addition to the many health benefits, Special Olympics gives athletes a chance to shine on stage, thereby contributing to their self-confidence and self-respect. We support Special Olympics financially, but we also encourage our own employees to help out, for example by volunteering at the National Games. 

With whom? We work together with Special Olympics in Belgium and the Netherlands, with healthcare professionals and a network of experts. In addition, we work with universities to ensure, for example, that the curriculum of medical students pays more attention to people with intellectual disabilities.

One of the biggest future challenges that cities face is sustainable growth. Cities occupy 3% of the earth’s surface but are responsible for 60 to 80% of the energy consumption. Reducing energy consumption is a major task: at present, we still derive too much energy from fossil fuels. 

How? Our campus in Beerse (Belgium) resembles a small town: here we consume as much electricity as 38.000 families. With our ‘Green Campus in 2050’ project, we want the campus to run entirely on renewable and green energy by 2050. We are constantly working on innovative solutions and sustainable ways to minimize our impact on the environment. We do this by investing in green and renewable energy sources, such as a fourth-generation heat network that uses on deep geothermal energy, as well as by building our own wind turbine at our site in Geel. We are also investing in a wind farm in the North Sea. Our objective is to run 35% of the campus on renewable energy by 2020. By 2050 we only want to use renewable energy. 

With whom? In making our campus more sustainable, we work together with energy companies, governments, investors, knowledge institutions, and other companies.

Producing goods must improve in light of the growing world population: we not only have to produce ‘more with less’, but production must also be cleaner: the goal is to reduce chemicals and other waste in the air, water and soil. 

How? PVC is one of the most used plastics worldwide. The stability and flexibility of this material make it suitable as a high-quality packaging material for medicines. The downside is that many harmful substances are released during the production of PVC. That is why our ‘PVC to PETG Blister Change’ project wants to phase out and end the use of PVC in our packaging. We are adapting our blister packs so that they can be produced using a different plastic, PETG, without compromising on quality and safety. Producing PETG releases far fewer harmful substances than producing PVC. This way, we make our production process cleaner and produce less (chemical) waste. 

With whom? In this project we work together with the suppliers of the packaging of our medicines. 

Climate action must ultimately lead to the integration of climate change measures into policy strategies and planning. In addition, the individual has a major role to play. Each of us plays a role in combating climate change. 

How? With the ‘Sustainability Month’ project, we want to continue to raise awareness of sustainability in all layers of our organization, so that it becomes anchored in the DNA of every employee. ‘Sustainability Month’ puts a number of sustainability initiatives in the spotlight during one month. It gives employees with good proposals a platform and wants to inform as many colleagues as possible about these topics. In 2018, for example, the main theme was waste. In 2019 the focus lies on ‘single use plastics’ and encouraged people to think about how they can use less plastic. 

With whom? During ‘Sustainability Month’ we work together with all our business partners.

Life on land is affected by human activity. There is loss of biodiversity and land degradation. To counteract this, we must protect and restore life on land by reducing the ecological impact of our activities. 

How? We limit the ecological impact of our activities by making responsible use of solvents. We use solvents during the production of our medicines. Solvents are used to create solutions between substances. After the production of medicines, the solvent remains as a waste product. Because certain solvents can be bad for one’s health and unsafe for the environment, we want to avoid this waste as much as possible. Without solvents, however, we cannot produce life-saving medicines. In order to make sustainable and safe use of solvents, we use a ‘green list’, listing a number of solvents that must be used. Compared to other solvents, they are better for the environment, health, and safety. We evaluate the solvents on the basis of the entire life cycle: this way we examine the CO₂ emissions, the safety and health aspects during use, as well as how sustainable the production process of the solvent itself is. 

With whom? The list was drawn up by our scientists and colleagues at Janssen Supply Chain. We remain in constant contact with experts outside Janssen, the ECHA (European Chemicals Agency) and other governmental bodies in order to keep up to date with the latest insights on solvents.

The dove of peace is an international symbol of peace. Peace is closely linked to an inclusive society and an inclusive work environment, in which each person can flourish. All people should feel welcome and be given equal opportunities, regardless of gender, race, religion, age, culture, or sexuality. They should have a sense of security, fulfillment, and purpose in their work. 

How? With our ‘Open & Out’ project we want to make Johnson & Johnson the employer choice for LGBTQ (Lesbians, Gay, Bi, Trans and Queer) people. We want to achieve this by creating an environment where there is respect for diversity and dignity, so that everyone can feel proud, integrated and safe. We do this by organizing workshops and trainings, offering talent development programs, and organizing events in cooperation with local civil society organizations. 

With whom? We achieve an inclusive work environment together with all our employees. For our activities in local communities, we collaborate with various civil society organizations.

At Janssen Belgium, we use our scientific knowledge and expertise to discover and develop medicines. With these medicines, we want to help improve patients’ quality of life. With our innovative medicines, we contribute to the health and well-being of people all ages, and that is exactly what SDG 3 is all about. 

Every new, innovative drug is the result of years of research and development (R&D). Discovering and developing new medicines is a complex process that takes place on a global scale and involves great uncertainty. It is a cyclical process: the fight against cancer, for example, is a step-by-step process and with every step we take, successful or not, we learn more about the disease. In the case of drug innovation, not all activities lead to the hoped-for result, but that does not mean that they are a waste of resources: the knowledge gained always fuels the next steps in the development programs. We equally learn a lot from research that does not immediately lead to a new drug. This R&D cycle is essential to develop new drugs that contribute to the health and well-being of all people worldwide. That’s why we invested $8.44 billion in research and development worldwide in 2018. Our commitment to research and development is also reflected in our workforce: approximately 3,000 Janssen employees in Belgium work in R&D. 

Who did not used to dream about what he or she wanted to become later on? Yet some children are not aware of their possibilities, because they cannot be made sufficiently aware of it at home and at school. 

How? We bring socially vulnerable young people in Belgium in contact with inspiring professionals from the field of science during workshops. We do this in cooperation with TADA (Future Atelier de l’Avenir), to stimulate young people to think about their future. In this way we contribute to the prospects of socially vulnerable children aged 10 to 14 living in socio-economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. Our colleagues participate to teach the children more about the fascinating world of Life Sciences. In addition, with financial support we contribute to a larger reach for TADA, so more disadvantaged children can participate in their activities. 

With whom? In Belgium we work together with TADA.