ENVIRONMENT

Although Tecan’s business activities are not energy- or emissions-intensive information about our environmental impact has been reported in our Annual Report since 2007 and data disclosed via CDP reporting since 2011. In 2019 Tecan set a target to reduce a defined portion of greenhouse gas emissions by one-third by 2022, and this target was reached. A commitment to tracking Tecan’s total global greenhouse gas emissions at least annually is included in Tecan’s Human Rights and Responsible Business Practices policy, which is owned by Tecan’s CEO and is available on tecan.com.

As the reports of the International Panel on Climate Change make clear, rapid decarbonization is needed to limit average global temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. In 2022 Tecan committed to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and Business Ambition for 1.5°C, aiming to make our contribution to this global emissions reduction effort. At the end of 2023, Tecan’s science-based targets and emissions reduction plan were validated by the SBTi.

Tecan’s environmental data is in the Data Section of this report. 

As is typical for manufacturing companies, the biggest sources of Tecan’s greenhouse gas emissions are indirect sources, scope 3 in the Greenhouse Gas protocol, in particular 3(1) Purchased Goods and Services, and 3(11) Use of Sold Products. Tecan’s emissions reduction plan focuses on these areas, and during 2023 environmental criteria were integrated into Tecan’s Supplier Qualification process as well as included in the re-qualification of suppliers that is being carried out as part of Tecan’s Responsible Sourcing program.

Collection and management of Tecan’s environmental, social impact and governance data was the focus of a detailed project within Tecan in 2023. With the support of external consultants, a blueprint has been developed to increase automation of the data collection and management process where needed, and to extend the scope of data collected. Once implemented, this process will provide an important foundation for the management of environmental impact, including providing insight throughout the year on the effectiveness of steps taken to reduce emissions.

A communications cascade leveraging team meetings and townhall meetings throughout Tecan brought the topic of greenhouse gas emissions reduction and Science Based Targets to the attention of the majority of Tecan employees globally, providing an opportunity for everyone to ask questions and provide input. A video with Tecan’s Sustainability Committee lead, Martin Brändle, was posted on Tecan’s intranet and a link shared in the cascaded materials, providing an overview of the Science Based Targets and Tecan’s actions. The presentation shared in the cascade was recorded with a voiceover and also posted online, along with supporting materials including a link to an online game challenging participants to reduce their greenhouse gas emission to net zero by 2050. Engagement around the topic has been high, with many colleagues making use of the "case studies" forms that was included in the communications cascade to facilitate sharing of examples of positive impact throughout Tecan.

In 2023, Tecan also kicked off analysis of the risks and opportunities presented by global temperature increases of 2°C and 4°C above pre-industrial levels. This scenarios analysis will form the basis of Tecan’s Task force on Climate Related Financial Disclosures reporting, which will be shared in the annual report next year.

In addition to measuring environmental impact, Tecan has taken a number of steps to minimize and mitigate impact, such as: 

Eco-design provides Tecan with further opportunities to reduce its environmental impact. Tecan’s Fluent™ Automation Workstation incorporates a number of eco-design features, including stand-by mode, which saves power when the system is not in use but allows it to be activated immediately, and "Zero-G", which reduces power to the motors when the system is on pause or within a run whenever an arm is not in use. The Fluent™ is an unusually quiet workstation, reflecting its efficient design: the field-oriented control protocol increases the efficiency of the motors by up to 80%. Waste segregation features allow for the separation and so optimal disposal of contaminated waste (plates and tips) versus clean waste (tip wafers and boxes), and efficient fixed tip washing protocols help to minimize the use of disposable tips. 

Considering energy efficiency, materials, waste and the opportunity to have a positive environmental impact is part of Tecan’s structured research and development process, with a dedicated section of Tecan’s "milestones" R&D review process focused on alignment with Tecan’s sustainability strategy. In 2023 Tecan’s sustainability program and the results of that year’s utilization of the milestones review process were presented at an R&D Townhall meeting, giving colleagues the opportunity to ask questions and hear from Tecan’s Chief Technology Officer and Head of R&D how important it is to continue to look for eco-design opportunities, ensuring Tecan’s products are future-fit.

Tecan’s Männedorf headquarters was an early example of a "green building", built with environmental impact in mind. It has a "living roof" which naturally reduces building energy consumption, as well as rooftop solar panels that generate around 10% of the building’s electricity needs. LED lighting and automatic sunshades also reduce energy usage, and low-flow water systems ensure efficient water use. Charging stations powered by renewable energy are available free of charge for employees who have electric vehicles, and a subsidy for employees who commute using public transit also reduces overall environmental impact. For employees who need to travel between Tecan buildings or otherwise locally from Tecan’s headquarters, hybrid vehicles are available. Impact is also managed at the employee canteen, which serves meals made from seasonal, local ingredients, always with a vegetarian option, and consciously avoids generating food waste. In 2023 Tecan’s headquarters received ISO 14001 certification, and ensuring that the related best practices are shared among our sites around the world is a priority for Tecan’s Environment, Health and Safety Office. Tecan activities are also guided by our strict Product Environmental Compliance policy, and are reflected in Tecan’s Code of Conduct, both of which mandate that environmental legislative requirements are met and that employees work to minimize Tecan’s environmental impact, and both of which are publicly available. The Product Environmental Compliance policy and facilities management systems and ambitions reflect Tecan’s support of UN SDG 12.4, to “achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle…” and UN SDG 12.5, to “substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse.” 

In 2020, Tecan completed a product carbon footprint of our flagship Fluent™ automation workstation and followed that by annually purchasing carbon credits to offset the emissions generated by production and shipping of the various models of the Fluent™. In 2021, the product carbon footprint of the Spark family of detection products was completed, and subsequently Tecan implemented an annual offset of production and shipping emissions. In 2024, a related amount of carbon credits has again been purchased, addressing slightly more emissions than it is estimated can be attributable to the products’ production and shipping. The correlation is not direct, and reflects the value Tecan places on climate mitigation projects, which also have a significant positive social impact as well as a beneficial environmental impact. The descriptions of the projects previously funded by Tecan can be found in our 2022 Annual Report, and the climate mitigation supported in 2024 is described here .

Tecan’s ISO 14001 certification is shared on tecan.com.

A circular economic model is one in which the creation of waste is avoided, in contrast to the linear “take-make-dispose” pattern of resource use seen more often today. Circular economy principles can be built into the design of products, as well as considered in their materials. The transition to renewable energy and materials underpins the approach. The need to transition to a circular economy is clear: every year, humanity uses more resources than the planet can regenerate, threatening the very ecosystems that enable life to flourish.

Tecan’s main business activities are the design and development of innovative instruments, instrument components and modules, software, reagents and consumables for research, diagnostics and medical use and the execution of global sales and service activities. For instruments and components, focus is on final assembly, testing and packaging. The materials sourced for this are a large contributor to Tecan’s scope 3 emissions; typical materials include steel, aluminum, plastic, small amounts of tin, and forestry products for packaging. Many of Tecan’s products are long-lasting, designed to be used for many years and this long product lifespan is supported by Tecan’s service offerings. Nonetheless, there are opportunities to reduce Tecan’s use of resources, including through eco-design.

Tecan offers a broad portfolio of products including disposable pipette tips. However, Tecan is one of the few suppliers to leave it up to the customer, depending on the application, to decide whether steel needles are used for pipette steps. To do so, Tecan has two completely different technologies for liquid transfers. For applications where the risk of cross-contamination is only very minimal or even non-existent, it can make sense to use steel needles for reasons of sustainability, and some major customers choose to do this. 

Tecan’s products are deployed to a large extent in regulated laboratories and markets, which restricts what changes can be made to the content of products and can also restrict how these changes are made. These restrictions often apply also to the packaging that touches the product. There are also restrictions regarding product disposal, for example, plastics that have come into contact with certain medical samples are incinerated rather than recycled. Tecan’s "consumables" products, many of which come into contact with samples and by regulation cannot be reused and might even need to be treated as hazardous waste, are estimated to be Tecan’s biggest source of plastic waste and in 2022 a team dedicated to these products was formed, taking on the task of reducing the environment impact of this line of products. In 2023, the Consumables team researched options for addressing plastic waste including the feasibility of takeback programs, and recycling. An information sheet advising customers how best to recycle Tecan consumables was produced and shared on . Additionally, projects focusing on lightweighting existing products and reducing the impact of packaging were pursued in 2023, and remain in focus for 2024, and work is underway to develop related measurable targets. In total, Tecan’s efforts support UN SDG 12.2, to “move towards a circular business model.”

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