Medicon Village first sustainability verified science park
Medicon Village was verified in May 2023 according to ISO 26000 and thus became the first science park in Sweden to verify its sustainability work.
ISO 26000 is an international standard focusing on the social responsibility of organizations. Sweden has decided to revise the standard to also include the UN’s global goals with a self-declaration. Through the verification, businesses’ sustainability work can be reported in a more transparent and reliable way.
At Medicon Village, we are doing our utmost to support the transition to a more sustainable society, based on the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2030. Accordingly, sustainability issues characterize the entire operation—from the ownership via “Mats Paulsson’s foundation for research, innovation, and societal development,” whose surplus from the operation and the foundation’s capital goes back to research, to high ambitions to reduce the climate footprint through the development of a sharing economy between the operations at the plant and to reduce energy use. Examples of Medicon Village’s sustainability work are the development of an innovative energy system and coordination of purchases to reduce transport to and from the area.
We are working systematically with five SDGs that we have identified as being particularly important and where we can make a positive contribution in the coming years.
Our primary starting point is Goal 3: Good health and well-being. The other four SDGs we work with include:
- Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth
- Goal 9: Industry, innovation, and infrastructure
- Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities
- Goal 17: Partnerships for the goals
Having a non-profit foundation (Mats Paulsson’s Stiftelse för forskning, innovation och samhällsbyggande) as the owner of Medicon Village means that our financing is sustainable as well—any surplus from the business is invested back into academic research that contributes to people’s health and better lives.
Together with our committed members and partners, we are carrying out a series of initiatives to strengthen our sustainability profile—spanning from the implementation of next-generation energy solutions to efforts that promote climate-smart construction, attractive and flexible workplaces, and sustainable growth. Through this, we are taking the lead in driving transformation, for our own sake and for the sake of future generations.
For the press release on the verification announcement, please visit our press room.