Biogen

Carbon per million dollars of revenue. The legacy industry-standard reference (CDP, MSCI). Useful for cross-sector context, but distorted by margin — high-margin firms appear artificially efficient. Read alongside the operational and asset intensities for the full picture.

OpEx (operating expenditure) is the running cost of the business — staff, services, energy, materials. This shows how carbon-intensive operations are per million dollars of spend. Removes the margin distortion that revenue-based ratios introduce.

EVIC (Enterprise Value Including Cash) is the firm's total capital footprint — equity + debt + cash + minority interest. The EU's standard intensity measure (SFDR PAI 3) — answers: how much carbon does each million of capital deployed in this business produce?

PP&E (Property, Plant & Equipment) plus leased real-estate assets is the firm's physical infrastructure on the balance sheet. This shows the carbon intensity of that physical footprint — uses Scope 1+2+3 for consistency with the other headline intensities. Surfaces stranded-asset risk for asset-heavy firms.

• · Puro.earth Registry
• · berkeley_voluntary_registry

Biogen has sourced 100% renewable electricity in all markets where it operates since 2014 and joined RE100 in 2015. In 2020 it added multi-year direct hydropower contracts for Cambridge, MA and Solothurn, Switzerland. In 2024 its first Virtual Power Purchase Agreement (Liberty Solar, Texas, ~100 MW total with Biogen taking a 20 MW position) came online, and Biogen signed two additional VPPAs expected operational by 2027. Once all three VPPAs are operational they are expected to cover 100% of Biogen's North America electricity use. Renewable electricity is currently maintained through bundled and unbundled Energy Attribute Certificates (Green-e RECs, Guarantees of Origin, J-Credits, I-RECs).

To address residual emissions and achieve net-zero market-based Scope 2 emissions, Biogen invested in permanent carbon removals via biochar projects. Biochar is a charcoal-like material created by burning carbon-rich biomass in a low-oxygen environment. In 2024 Biogen retired 45 tCO2e of Puro.earth-certified CORC 100+ credits to offset municipal steam emissions. This is explicitly distinguished as durable removals rather than avoidance offsets.

• End-of-life equipment replacement to cut Scope 1

  Biogen's multi-pronged approach to its 50%-by-2030 Scope 1 target includes promoting greater efficiency when retiring equipment such as boilers, working to eliminate the use of certain refrigerants, and ensuring minimum efficiency standards for priority facilities and new equipment. Since 2019, Biogen has reduced CO2 emissions by 10,421 metric tons (equivalent to taking 2,431 gas-powered cars off the road), a 16% Scope 1 reduction from the 2019 baseline.

• Site-level energy efficiency (chillers, heat pumps)

  At Research Triangle Park, software and hardware enhancements increased existing chiller capacity and reduced pump and cooling tower fan speeds. In Baar, Switzerland, an air-source heat pump cut natural gas consumption 96% vs. 2023. Cambridge operations (~30% of 2019 Scope 1+2 baseline) use outside-air cooling when temps drop below 52°F and a compressed-air nitrogen-generation system for redundancy and efficiency.

• Green chemistry & sustainable drug development scorecard

  In 2024 Biogen advanced a Development and Commercialization Scorecard for small molecule assets to standardize evaluation of process improvements on GHG emissions, waste, process/patient safety. Green chemistry principles include safer processes, reduced solvent use, efficient conversion of key materials. 100% of Biogen labs are My Green Lab certified, with 57% at the highest Green level.

• Fleet electrification

  EV and hybrid options are available in countries where Biogen employees use corporate fleet vehicles. In 2024 Biogen added more than a dozen new EV chargers in the U.S. alone for fleet vehicles, employees and visitors.

• Supplier engagement on renewable energy and SBTi targets

  As of Q1 2025, 56% of Biogen's top 50% of suppliers (by spend) have pledged 100% renewable electricity—more than double the prior year. Over 37% of the top 80% of suppliers (by spend) have set or pledged SBTi-verified science-based climate targets, up 16% YoY. Biogen uses EcoVadis assessments and its Supply Chain Sustainability CLEAN (Conscious Logistic Environment Action Network) initiative to incorporate environmental impacts into supplier decisions covering distribution/logistics, cold chain and packaging.

• Sustainable packaging and primary device redesign

  Biogen purchased equipment for in-house prototyping of cartons, leaflets and instructions for use. In 2024 it evaluated alternative primary packaging materials including monolayer blisterpack films (eliminating PVC) and paper bottle/cap closure systems, and is replacing plastic molded trays with 100% bio-degradable potato-starch trays. Exploring alternatives to single-use injectors.