Sustainability

In 2021, BICO set the foundation for the Group’s sustainability agenda. It connects bio convergence with three different perspectives that define our operations with UN Sustainability Development Goals. As of December 2021, BICO are an official signatory of the UN Global Compact Sustainability Development Goals and the Ten Principles of the United Nations Global Compact.

The BICO Way

Three Dimensions
of Sustainability

The sustainability platform is gathered in The BICO Way, explains how BICO views sustainability and focuses on how we, as a company, can make a difference. The three perspectives form the pillars of our platform. 

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Our People ↗

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Our Offering ↗

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Our Planet ↗

UN Sustainable Development Goals​

The Group’s main focus is on the third goal, good health, and well-being, since it is highly connected to our offering, commercial focus, and development strategy. The sustainability agenda also showcase the current efforts within BICO and will be present-ed in the sustainability report, which is an integrated part of our annual report and will be published in March. In conclusion, the sustainability platform forms a solid framework which will guide the transition toward a more sustainable BICO.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to end poverty and inequality, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy health, justice and prosperity. For the sustainability development goals, BICO have focused on goal 3, 9 and 12 since these are the goals that BICO can influence the most and which in turn impact BICO the most.

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Code of Conduct

We are commited to a culture of openness, integrity, accountability and to conduct safe, fair, environmentally responsible, and ethical operations. Our Code of Conduct is based on human rights and labor rights, information protection, environment, health and safety, governance and management systems, product safety & business ethics. The Code of Conduct has been harmonized with the UN principles for the Global Compact and the ILO Convention on Human Rights. The Code of Conduct and the Code of Conduct for suppliers and partners describe BICO’s business ethics position and principles for these. During 2021, the Group had zero reports of incidents violating the Code of Conduct and zero reports on cases of corruption. Both violations of the Code of Conduct and anti-corruption are considered areas where the Group needs to further strengthen its control function in the future.

We will treat concerns with the gravity they deserve. We are working together with Whistlelink, which is an external, safe, and secure whistleblowing system that allows you to report suspected wrongdoings, easily and anonymously. We guarantee full anonymity, sensitivity and confidentiality throughout the entire case process. The system is available on BICO’s website, which enables reporting from third parties.

Internal code of conduct
Supplier code of conduct
Whistleblowing system
Human & Labor Rights
The work for sustainability enters the next phase during 2022 with focus on implementing initiatives at the subsidiaries. The Group will also define and communicate the Group’s non-financial targets. Furthermore, the work will focus on the development of a Climate action plan for the entire Group. In 2022, BICO will take a closer look at the possibility of signing different market standards for sustainability.
Business Ethics
Together with our suppliers and partners, we at BICO Group are striving towards a free competition market by complying to all anti-corruption laws, distancing ourselves from illegal payments and insider trading or accepting excessive gifts which is also defined in our Code of Conduct for suppliers and partners.
Environment, Health & Safety
We are committed to creating a good, safe, and healthy environment – for all and in every situation. Therefore we have various policies in place ensuring the protection of our employees, contractors, and visitors. We further ensure that chemical substances are handled with care.
Governance & Management System

As an employee or a third party, you are encouraged to speak up and raise any and all ethical or legal concerns through our Whistleblower function.

Product Safety
BICO Group companies are shaping the future of health and for that reason we ensure that our products and services follow maximum quality and safety standards.
Information Protection
We ensure protection of sensitive, confidential, and proprietary information. The BICO Group complies to all applicable data privacy laws and regulations. We further protect the intellectual property of BICO and our customers.

Customer Case

3d Bioprinted Human Skin

The Future of Cosmetic Testing

CTIBiotech, an innovative R&D firm based in Lyon, France, is using CELLINK’s BIO X 3D bioprinter to produce in vitro full skin models from human cells. These bioprinted human skin models, which include sebaceous glands, immune cells or melanocytes, are more physiologically relevant. This improved models enable researchers to investigate sebum production, acne, or atopic dermatitis. 

Additionally, with CTIBIOTECH able to produce over one hundered artifical skin constructs (1 cm2 in size) a high-throughput approach for screening of active ingredients in topical products, aesthetic or medical devices for skincare is now possible.
Tissue-engineering breakthroughs like this are propelling the industry forward, reducing its dependance on animals experimentation, whilst driving down development costs and paving the way for safer and more efficacious beauty and dermatological products.

The $40 billion cosmetic industry is increasingly innovating using in vitro technologies as alternatives to animal experimentation for efficacy and safety testing skin-care and beauty products. Thankfully, advances in tissue engineering, such as the ability to bioprint human tissue models in the lab, have unlocked promising long-term-solutions.