Getz Pharma Pakistan Makes Environmental History

Getz Pharma announced today that its new manufacturing facility, named Astola, has been awarded the First LEED Platinum Certification for a pharmaceutical plant in South Asia, by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

With this achievement, Pakistan has proudly become the first South Asian country to have received the LEED Platinum Level Certification for a pharmaceutical plant. Achieving the highest LEED rating for this state-of-the-art facility is a testament to Getz Pharma’s commitment towards playing its part as a corporate citizen, for preserving and protecting the environment.

Getz Pharma believes in forward-thinking by constantly taking environmentally conscious efforts for a more sustainable world. With the completion of this plant, Getz Pharma has achieved its goal of promoting sustainability and efficiency in building design, construction, and operations. It is not the first time that Getz Pharma has laid down a foundation for communities and corporations to follow. Ever since its inception in 1995, Getz Pharma has put the preservation of environment on the forefront of its CSR activities and actively promotes initiatives in this field, while adopting several green practices in their office as well. As the second-largest pharmaceutical company in Pakistan, Getz Pharma’s Head Office is also WWF Green Office Certified.

Every year the World Environment Day is observed on June 5 by the United Nations to spread awareness about preventing, halting, and reversing the damage that has been caused to nature. This year, the baton was passed down to Pakistan with the theme being ‘ecosystem restoration’, focusing more on creating a good relationship with nature.

Getz Pharma organized a live talk on June 5, World Environment Day on the ‘Role of the Corporate Sector in Protecting the Environment.’ In discussion were Khalid Mahmood, Managing Director & CEO of Getz Pharma, and Hammad Naqi Khan, Director-General of WWF Pakistan.

Emphasizing the need of the corporate sector to play its part in saving the environment, Mr. Mahmood said, “It is important that we as humans keep reminding ourselves that we are not alone on this planet. There is a huge biological ecosystem that exists around us. If we want to live a better and more sustainable life, we need to unlearn and relearn how to honor the cycle of life.”

Mr. Naqi discussed the various efforts WWF-Pakistan is taking to carry out its mission to work at both a global and national level with governments, the private sector, and consumers to address governance challenges affecting development and advocate for sustainable decision-making. He congratulated Getz Pharma on achieving LEED Platinum Certification for their new manufacturing facility- Astola and appreciated their active involvement in creating awareness of the importance of preserving the environment. He said, “Naming your new manufacturing facility Astola, shows how Getz Pharma wants to call attention to natural heritage sites like the Astola Island- which is a beautiful Ramsar site off the coast of Baluchistan, known for its unique biodiversity and ecological importance. It shows a deeper commitment and reflects on the values of the management towards preservation of nature and environment.”

During the talk, Mr. Mahmood went on to propose how corporates need to dig deeper and focus more on playing their role in preserving the environment. The infrastructure of the new Getz Pharma manufacturing facility- Astola, was thoughtfully planned and designed to help reduce the overall carbon footprint of the company. The green building facility will use less energy, passive heating, and cooling which will improve the air quality while potentially reducing carbon emissions. He said, “This is achievable and most importantly a need of the hour- we must preserve and protect what we have for the sake of our future generations; we must all do our part.”

The emergence of COVID-19 has also shown just how disastrous the consequences of ecosystem loss can be. By shrinking the area of natural habitat for animals, we have created ideal conditions for pathogens – including coronaviruses – to spread.

Getz Pharma has been a forerunner in taking environmentally friendly initiatives and setting a benchmark for others to follow.

What is LEED?

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the most widely used green building rating system in the world awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council. Available for virtually all building types, LEED provides a framework for healthy, highly efficient, and cost-saving green buildings. LEED certification is a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement and leadership. LEED is for all building types and all building phases including new construction, interior fit-outs, operations and maintenance, and core and shell.

Opting for LEED certification provides organizations several economic, health, and environmental benefits. By following LEED standards, buildings can conserve water, reduce waste, minimize miles driven, use green materials and implement sustainable strategies. Employers in LEED-certified spaces have also reported higher recruitment and retention rates, increased employee productivity. Improving indoor air quality can reduce absenteeism and work hours affected by asthma, respiratory allergies, depression, and stress, and leads to and self-reported improvements in productivity. LEED helps investors meet their Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals by providing investors with the robust and globally recognized green building framework to measure and manage their real estate performance. LEED helps investors implement management practices to prioritize building efficiency, decrease operational costs, increase asset value and ensure productivity, comfort, health, and wellbeing for occupants.