SUSTAINABILITY AT TECAN

Tecan is a pioneer and global leader in laboratory automation. Founded in Switzerland in 1980, the company has more than 3,500 employees: a full overview of Tecan’s employee profile is included in the Social Impact section of this report. Tecan has manufacturing, research and development sites in Europe, North America and Asia, and maintains a sales and service network in over 70 countries. Tecan Group Ltd. is the parent company, and is a limited corporation incorporated in Switzerland, whose shares are publicly traded. Tecan Group Ltd.’s registered office is at Seestrasse 103, 8708 Männedorf, Switzerland. The entities included in Tecan’s sustainability report are indicated here.

Tecan’s main business activities are the research, design and development of our products, the final assembly of these at our production sites, and the related sales and service activities. Tecan markets products directly to end users and as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) also develops and manufactures OEM instruments, components and sub-modules. The products manufactured by Tecan are used in laboratories for life science research, in applied markets and in clinical diagnostics as well as in the medical area. The largest product group comprises laboratory automation platforms, benchtop instruments, as well as instrument components and sub-modules. 

Tecan does not conduct animal testing, or participate in, or knowingly fund, any external studies that use embryonic stem cells, fetal tissue or fetal cell lines. Clients include pharmaceutical, biotechnology, in-vitro diagnostic and medical devices companies, university research departments, and diagnostic and other laboratories. As an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), Tecan also develops and manufactures OEM instruments and components that are then distributed by partner companies into research, in-vitro diagnostic and medical device markets. Tecan’s value chain also includes the distributor network and supply chain, which are described in this report.

At Tecan we improve people’s lives and health by empowering our customers to scale healthcare innovation globally from life science to the clinic. We collaborate with our customers in healthcare and the life sciences, from early-stage innovation through delivery of clinical solutions. We deliver the products, services and solutions that make lab processes and medical procedures precise, reproducible and compliant. This leads to scalable outcomes that are further reaching and ever more valuable to humankind. Tecan’s sustainability strategy supports the Company’s purpose, is integrated into Tecan’s annual strategy development and review process, and was approved by the Board of Directors in 2023. This strategy enables Tecan to say, “Our products add value to society, our business practices do, too”. Both a description of how Tecan operates today and an aspiration indicating the areas in which Tecan will strengthen processes on an ongoing basis, the strategy states: 

From design through production to end-of-life, we maximize the positive impact of our products and business practices. Tecan’s products enable innovative healthcare, consider eco-design, and are produced with responsibly sourced materials. Our sites are carefully managed to minimize negative environmental impacts and to implement practices which have a positive environmental impact. We consistently demonstrate excellence in product quality and safety, governance, and risk management, and have a measurable positive impact as an employer and in our communities. 

Implementation of this strategy is further described in the Environment, Social Impact, and Governance sections of this sustainability report. 

Tecan joined the UN Global Compact (UNGC) in 2018, and in doing so committed to a precautionary approach to environmental challenges, along with key social impact and good governance principles derived from UN instruments such as Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Labour Organization’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, and the United Nations Convention Against Corruption. 

Adherence to these principles was approved by Tecan's CEO and is tracked by Tecan’s sustainability Group Function and reported on annually via the UNGC reporting platform. In 2023, Tecan’s UNGC reporting was completed in May on the UNGC’s newly launched online platform. 

Additional SDGs are supported through the work of Tecan’s customers, and through research projects supported by Tecan. The majority of Tecan’s customers focus on activities intended to ultimately benefit human health. Notable exceptions are highlighted on the sustainability page of tecan.com.

In 2023, Tecan celebrated UN SDG Flag Day with an interactive exhibition at the Männedorf headquarters, including a quiz designed for the event that communicated the purpose of the SDGs as well as what these mean for Tecan.

Tecan’s stakeholders include customers, investors and employees, as well as our business partners and the communities in which we live and work. Customer satisfaction is a priority for Tecan, as described in more detail in the Customer satisfaction section of this report. Customer surveys enable a structured engagement process, and complement the ongoing dialogue that can form between Tecan and customers based on the long life of Tecan products and associated service of products. Tecan has regular dialogue with investors as described in the Information policy section of this report. Tecan regularly responds to requests for information from customers and ratings agencies, and through these and the other interactions is able to assess what topics are of most importance to these stakeholders. Tecan’s engagement with employees is described in the Social Impact section of this report. Engagement with stakeholders including Tecan’s peers is facilitated by participation in industry associations. Tecan’s stakeholder engagement enables Tecan to calibrate its business decisions to ensure an optimum outcome. 

Tecan is a member of associations including: 

• ALDA (Analytical, Life Science & Diagnostics Association), a “non-profit industry trade association for global companies that develop and market products and services used in life science research, drug discovery, QA/QC and food testing, and clinical diagnostics” 
• MedTech Europe, an industry association with the mission to “make innovative medical technology available to more people, while helping healthcare systems move towards a sustainable path” 
• The Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS), which is based in the US and is “the largest global organization of and for those involved with the regulation of healthcare and related products, including medical devices, pharmaceuticals, biologics and nutritional products”
• SwissHoldings, an association of industrial and service companies based in Switzerland working for favorable business conditions for such multi-national enterprises
• Swiss MedTech, “the association of Swiss medical technology”, which represents approximately 700 companies, and is a member of the umbrella group MedTech Europe
• The United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), an initiative based on CEO commitments to sustainability principles, and to supporting United Nations’ goals 
• WeAdvance, “the leading business association for gender equality in Switzerland” as described here. 

Tecan’s material topics were first identified in 2021 with input from stakeholders gained via employee engagement, customer surveys and queries, ratings agencies’ questionnaires, participation in industry and other associations, and conversations with investors. In 2023, this materiality analysis was revised via a detailed double materiality assessment, carried out with the support of external consultants. "Double materiality" assesses both the financial impact of external sustainability factors on Tecan’s business performance ("financial materiality") and the social and environmental impacts of Tecan’s business on society ("impact materiality").

Following the best-practice methodology reflected in the diagram “Double Materiality Approach,” Tecan engaged with stakeholders via customer, supplier and employee surveys and interviews as well as detailed research. Stakeholders were identified by assessing impacts throughout the value chain and pinpointing stakeholders relevant to the different parts of the value chain. The double materiality analysis was conducted on behalf of all Tecan entities.

As well as identifying actual and potential impacts, both negative and positive, the likelihood and severity of each impact identified was assessed, looking into Tecan’s full value chain and adopting a forward-looking perspective. In the case of potential negative human rights impacts, severity was given precedence over likelihood. The scale, scope, and irremediable character of the impacts identified was then assessed to determine if each met the threshold of being "material". 

This detailed analysis confirmed the results of Tecan’s 2021 materiality analysis. Certain topics that had previously been grouped under the broad topic Governance and Ethics were identified as material topics in their own right, and are reported on in the Customer Satisfaction, Innovation and Cybersecurity sections of this report. Health & Safety was also identified as a material topic, having been previously included in the focus area Being Employer of Choice. Community Engagement did not meet the threshold of materiality at the Group level but could be expected to if a country-level perspective were taken and is included in this report as an important aspect of Tecan’s social impact. Carrying out the double materiality assessment provided Tecan with a welcomed additional opportunity for dialogue with stakeholders about their views on sustainability and Tecan’s approach to managing impact. Tecan will continuously monitor developments externally and internally to assess if the current material topics remain "material" and if new topics should be included in this scope.

Management of each material topic is described in the Environment, Social Impact, and Governance sections of this report.

This annual sustainability report has the same scope as the rest of Tecan’s Annual Report, covering the period January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023 and unless otherwise stated, covers all Tecan entities. A list of Tecan entities is included here. In the environmental data section is a restatement of 2022 data. This report has been prepared with the provisions of Article 964 j- k of the Swiss Code of Obligations, Ordinance on Due Diligence and Transparency in relation to Minerals and Metals from Conflict-Affected Areas and Child Labour in focus, and in alignment with GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) standards. Tecan’s sustainability report has not received external assurance. An assurance readiness assessment was completed in 2023. The report is reviewed as described. For further information contact sustainability(at)tecan.com or sarah.vowles(at)tecan.com.

<< Back to overview