Bayer emphasises its commitment to innovation

Aims to deliver new products and materials with a lower environmental impact

Bayer is committed to sustainable development in terms of the economy, ecology and social commitment and demonstrated this at its Innovation at Bayer event held this week at London’s Science Museum.

Bayer’s involvement with the museum includes being a Founders’ Circle member for the climate science ‘Atmosphere’ gallery in the museum, which aims to deepen public understanding of the science behind climate change. This includes a three-year programme of exhibitions, art installations, publications, events and education programmes.

Guest speaker Rob Holdway, director of Giraffe Innovation, which advises commercial organisations, the public sector and Government on how to reduce costs and their environmental impact, as well as improve their operational efficiency, urged firms such as Bayer to think more about ‘resource efficiency’ as they develop new products and materials.

‘Densely populated mature nations of the West are consuming the bulk of world finite resources and energy,’ said Holdway, who is also Professor Associate at Brunel University’s School of Engineering and Design.

Emerging economies such as China and India are growing rapidly and putting further strain on these resources. By 2025, China’s upper middle class will comprise 512 million people (McKinsey), which is the equivalent of adding another EU-sized chunk of consumers of world resources.

‘If current trends continue, by 2030 we will need a second planet Earth to satisfy our demands for energy, commodities and water and absorb our emissions,’ he added.

Holdway’s vision of ‘design innovation for a one planet economy’ requires companies to align themselves to macro-economic objectives and design their businesses and deliver new products and services with lower environmental impacts throughout the entire lifecycle.

Steve Painter, Bayer’s head of corporate communications, said innovation is the key to Bayer’s success and the base for the German giant’s technical and commercial expertise.

Bayer has a history of innovation spanning more than a century, including, in the pharmaceuticals sector, Aspirin (1899), a sleeping sickness cure (1923), Prontosil against bacterial infection (1935), the oral contraceptive Anovlar (1961), and the anticoagulant Xarelto (2008).

For 2012, Bayer has an r&d budget of €3bn, with two-thirds going to healthcare. The firm currently has more than 40 pharmaceutical projects in clinical development. Its innovations also span its CropScience and MaterialScience divisions.

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