Our Corporate Social Responsibility
Improving the health of people worldwide
BioNTech is a global next-generation immunotherapy company pioneering novel medicines against cancer, infectious diseases, and other serious diseases. Our COVID-19 vaccine is a key milestone in this effort. The company's aim is to translate science into survival by developing new immunotherapies. In doing so, we want to contribute to improving the health of people worldwide.
Our core values form the basis of everything we do
We are committed to transparency, integrity, environmental protection and respect for human rights. These unchanging foundations for our work are complemented by our corporate culture and our three corporate values:
Innovation
Passion
Unity
We support the efforts of the United Nations for global sustainable development:
We have signed the UN Global Compact for responsible and sustainable Conduct of Business and are committed to its ten principles.
With our work, we are contributing to the 2030 Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through our research and the development of mRNA vaccines for the potential treatment of infectious diseases with high unmet medical need, such as malaria, tuberculosis, shingles, HIV or HSV-2, we contribute in particular to the third Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 3): to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all people at all ages. The related targets 3.3 (Combat infectious diseases) and 3b (Access to healthcare) are also the focus of our work.
Sustainability Report 2022
Explore our latest sustainability report to find out how we fulfill our corporate social responsibility.
Our CSR-Management
BioNTech is aware of its responsibility: as a reliable business partner, an attractive employer, and in the careful use of limited ecological resources as a researching and commercially producing biotech company. The responsibility for the successful further development of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) lies with our Management Board.
The members of the Management Board are measured by their success: a part of the variable Management Board remuneration depends on the achievement of defined sustainability targets set annually by the Supervisory Board.
A CSR Steering Board supports the Board of Management in strategic matters: In addition to Prof. Özlem Türeci, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, and Sierk Poetting, Ph.D., Chief Operating Officer, the board consists of several executives representing relevant departments. The CSR team continuously drives operational development within the company and the integration of sustainability issues into the business units.
ESG Ratings
ESG- (Environmental, Social and Governance) and sustainability-related ratings provide valuable information that we use for the continuous further development of our CSR management.
BioNTech was again awarded "Prime" status by the internationally recognized rating agency ISS ESG in 2022. With an overall grade of B- for the second year in a row, BioNTech is among the top ten percent of all companies assessed in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. In its separate governance rating, ISS ESG assigned our company a score of 6 on a scale of 1 (low risk) to 10 (high risk).
Further relevant sustainability ratings are available from Standard & Poor's Corporate Sustainability Assessment and Morningstar Sustainalytics. More information can be found in our current Sustainability Report in Section 7.1, “ESG & sustainability-related ratings".
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CSR Fields of Action
BioNTech's goal is to translate science into survival, pioneering innovative medicines to treat diseases such as cancer, infectious diseases and other serious diseases. For instance, it is our goal to develop innovative medicines and therapies for a range of infectious diseases as well as cancer indications with a high unmet medical need disproportionately affecting low- and middle-income countries. In this way, we aim to contribute to solving the most pressing global health challenges and are committed to democratizing access to innovative medicines worldwide.
Based on our pioneering research and experience in immunotherapy, we also aim to develop innovative therapies and improve the standard of care for a wide range of indications.
For more information on our efforts to democratize access to innovative medicines, please refer to Chapter 2.0, “Our Responsibility" in our Sustainability Report 2022.
We base our business activities on sound principles: In addition to compliance with the law, we require our employees to act ethically and responsibly and support them in this regard through internal training.
BioNTech respects human rights and is committed to upholding social and environmental standards along its value chain.
As a research-based pharmaceutical company, ensuring information security and patient privacy is of critical importance to us. From the research and clinical trial phases to approved and distributed products, BioNTech makes the well-being of patients its highest priority. We also strive to achieve excellent research results while safeguarding individual animal welfare in the best possible way.
In dialogue with political stakeholders and governments, we aim to foster a constructive exchange to further advance our vision of combating infectious diseases, cancer and other serious diseases.
For further information, please refer to Chapter 4.0, “Responsible Governance" in our Sustainability Report 2022.
At the end of 2022, our workforce consisted of more than 4,500 employees from over 80 nations - and we continue to grow. Our goal is to foster the full potential of our employees and create a working environment where everyone feels respected. To this end, we aim to promote equal opportunities and diversity, as well as a continuous learning culture. Ensuring the highest occupational safety standards is an essential foundation of our work.
As a biotech company, we face intense competition for qualified employees, who form the basis for our corporate success. Our Human Resources department is therefore responsible for retention of specialists, recruiting new talent, and integrating our teams across all subsidiaries - new and old.
Our corporate culture and values are vital for this: they have always been key factors in our success. In order to maintain this culture even in times of sustained growth, and to reflect its importance in achieving the company's vision, the Culture Campus was founded in 2020 and has since established itself as a separate department.
Further information can be found in Chapter 6.0, “Attractive Employer" in our Sustainability Report 2022.
As a research-based, commercial biotech company, our work has an impact on the environment: production processes and R&D activities, the operation of our infrastructure and major construction projects lead to energy requirements, consumption of raw and auxiliary materials and the generation of waste.
In 2022, BioNTech continuously developed global environmental management in the areas of wastewater, waste and energy management. Climate protection is the focus of our environmental management. To this end, we have developed a climate strategy with emission reduction targets in line with the requirements of the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). Currently, our targets are in the validation process with the SBTi. We are committed to:
- An absolute reduction in CO2e emissions in Scope 1 (direct CO2e emissions from BioNTech) and Scope 2 (indirect greenhouse gas emissions from purchased energy) of 42 percent by 2030 and compared to the baseline year 2021.
- A supplier engagement target for Scope 3 calculations (all indirect greenhouse gas emissions from the value chain that BioNTech does not own or directly control). By 2027, key suppliers, representing 70% of BioNTech's Scope 3 emissions, should have submitted their own SBTi target.
To ensure the achievement of our climate targets for Scope 1 and 2, the independent specialist department Energy & Sustainability Projects (ESP) was established in 2022.
Climate risk management - transition risks and physical risks according to the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) - was established in 2022 and will be continuously developed.
Further information on our environmental management can be found in Section 5.0, “Environmental & Climate Protection" in our Sustainability Report 2022.
As a company, BioNTech is actively engaged socially. To this end, we have developed a corporate citizenship concept that addresses different focus topics. In close cooperation with our business units and the global sites, we want to promote, among other activities, corporate volunteering of our employees in a targeted manner.
Read chapter 3.0, “Corporate Citizenship" in our Sustainability Report 2022 to find out how we shape our social commitment sustainably and in line with our corporate values.
Sustainability Reports & relevant Publications
Contact
Sven Griemert
Director CSR
Anonymous Grievance mechanism
BioNTech is committed to responding reports of suspected violations of our principles.
Through the “Ethics Contact Point”, individuals may, at any time - also anonymously - report human rights or environmental risks, as well as potential violations of human rights-related or environmental obligations of BioNTech or other parties in the value chain.
In addition, the Human Rights Officer can be contacted directly:
Sven Griemert
Human Rights Officer
BioNTech is committed to protecting any person who raises their concern on reasonable grounds, regardless of which reporting channel was utilized.