This report accounts for Novo Nordisk’s performance in the task of implementing the Triple Bottom Line.

Issued in March 2002, it covers the company’s activities on social and environmental responsibility and economic viability within the 2001 calendar year.

As such, it complements the Annual Review and Annual Financial Report, which present the company’s business activities and financial performance for the year in more detail.

In compiling the information provided in this year’s report, we follow up the targets set for 2001, and we present new, long-term targets for sustainable development while explaining our approach and positions.

The report covers the milestones, major achievements and key issues during the year,

but does not provide a full coverage of all our activities within this area.

Adhering to global guidelines Novo Nordisk is a signatory to the UN Global Compact, and by adhering to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), this report aims to fulfil the participation requirements of the Global Compact.

As a member of the GRI since its pilot stage, Novo Nordisk takes part in the development of the GRI Guidelines. A complete overview of how we meet the standards is available in the GRI summary section

Independent verifications
Our quantitative data procedures, and the information systems used to produce the data presented in this report, are verified by a formal, independent verification procedure carried out by the accounting firm Deloitte & Touche.

An independent quality assurance review has been undertaken by Simon Zadek. It has provided a further level of quality assurance, focusing on the relevance and completeness of the information in the

report. A new dimension is assessing the company’s underlying learning process and capacity to identify and set longer-term, ‘stretch’ social and environmental goals and targets.

Data management – the CATCH concept
All Novo Nordisk data regarding Triple Bottom Line performance is managed through a common data management concept, CATCH.

CATCH consists of several elements: definitions, procedures and tools which ensure the validity of the reported data and support the internal focus on improving Novo Nordisk’s performance on the Triple Bottom Line.

In 2001, we introduced an environmental information system as part of the CATCH concept. Through a web-tool, environmental data are submitted directly from all our production sites and transferred to a central data warehouse for further aggregation, analysis, follow-up and, finally, reporting and verification.

All environmental data in Novo Nordisk’s Triple Bottom Line reporting, except ‘ozone-depleting substances’, is managed through the environmental information system.

Performance data in this report covers only the years 2000 and 2001 due to the demerger in 2000. The year 2001, being the first as a focused healthcare company, will therefore be the new baseline, against which we will track performance.

Complementary versions of the reports
With this report, available in English and Danish, we recognise that we address a very broad range of stakeholders.

Some readers may wish to study the report, while others take it in at a glance. We have tried to meet the needs of both by making the printed report and the Internet version of the report complementary.

Production site reports
To account for impacts and activities at community level, our eight largest production sites have issued individual reports, published in local languages, on their environmental and social performance during 2001.

Pdf-files of the site reports in English are available in the 'Download reports' section