Balanced Scorecard is a management tool in which major issues are vision, values, and business strategies. A basic principle is that management of a company has to be based on measurements of its score or performance in relation to different business perspectives. There are four perspectives: stakeholder or customer, economic, internal processes, and organisation and people.

Bioethics covers all ethical issues related to the use of life science technologies for the development and production of biotechnological and pharmaceutical products.

Biotechnology and genetic engineering refer to the application of living organisms and their cellular, sub-cellular or molecular components to create products and processes. Historically, the first use of biotechnology took place centuries ago with the discovery of fermentation of wine and beer. Modern biotechnology is often used synonymously with genetic engineering.

Contained use is a highly specific term from national and international regulation. It means that physical barriers (such as Novo Nordisk’s fermentation tanks) or a combination of physical, chemical or biological barriers are used to limit the contact of genetically modified microorganisms (GMMs) with the surrounding environment. The regulatory authorities set limits for emissions of GMMs. A chemical barrier might be chemical treatment to kill organisms. A biological barrier is an inherent characteristic of an organism, which means that the organism’s ability to survive in nature is limited.

Corporate governance is the system or process by which companies are directed and controlled. It is based on the principle that companies are accountable for their actions and therefore broad-based systems of accountability need to be built into the governance structures of companies.

Eco-efficiency is defined by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), as “the delivery of competitively-priced goods and services that satisfy human needs and bring quality of life, while progressively reducing ecological impacts and resource intensity throughout the life cycle to a level at least in line with the Earth’s estimated carrying capacity”.

Economics is the means by which society uses human and natural resources in the pursuit of human welfare. As such, economics extends beyond the boundaries of a single organisation and is inextricably linked to both the environmental and social elements of sustainable development.

Eco-productivity index (EPI) The site-based EPI is an expression of our ability to utilise resources. It is calculated by relating the total yield of product to the respective consumption of water and energy. Environmental responsibility covers our impact on the external environment and the bioethical implications of our activities.

Equal opportunities Based on international conventions Novo Nordisk defines equal opportunities as “recruiting, terms of employment, promotion, and termination is practised without any distinction, exclusion or preference made on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status, religious beliefs, creed, colour, race or ethnic origin or political orientation, except when justified by requirements intrinsic to a specific job”.

Global Compact is a UN-sponsored platform for encouraging and promoting good corporate practices and learning experiences in the areas of human rights, labour and the environment.

Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is an international, multistakeholder effort to create a common framework for voluntary reporting of the economic, environmental, and social impact of organisation-level activity. It is convened by the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES) in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

GMM and GMO Genetically Modified Microorganisms (GMMs) are a subgroup of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).

At Novo Nordisk microorganisms such as bacteria (Bacillus, E. coli) and microfungi (yeast, Aspergillus) have been encoded with genes for producing pharmaceutical proteins. GMMs are classified as safe or demonstrating the lowest potential risk only if certain criteria are fulfilled according to the scientific risk analysis. The GMM must not be pathogenic to humans, animals or plants, or in any way harmful to the environment. Further, the original microorganism should be non-pathogenic, and the genes inserted should not be expected to cause any harm.

Social responsibility is about improving the quality of relations with key stakeholders. Novo Nordisk defines it as putting values into action in the perspective of human resources, human rights, health & safety, and our relations with society at large.

Stakeholder A stakeholder is an individual, a group of individuals or an organisation affected by or affecting the behaviour of a company or an organisation. Novo Nordisk’s most significant stakeholder groups are shareholders, employees,

customers, suppliers, the media, authorities, non-governmental organisations and local communities around our production sites.

Sustainable development was defined in the Brundtland report from 1987 as “development that meets the needs of the present world without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. Novo Nordisk interprets this definition as the Triple Bottom Line approach.

Triple Bottom Line The Triple Bottom Line concept reflects an integrated understanding of business performance, in which social, environmental and economic bottom lines are interdependent. The aim of a Triple Bottom Line approach is to ensure a business performance that is socially responsible, environmentally sound and economically viable.