May 3 2010
A biologics manufacturing plant of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company located in Devens, Massachusetts, has received LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification. In December 2009, the office building and laboratory at the same plant obtained LEED Gold certification.
Started by the U.S. Green Building Council, the LEED certification recognizes the construction, design and function of green buildings with high performance.
By 2011, the Devens plant is likely to produce commercial-scale Orencia (abatacept), a drug used for treating rheumatoid arthritis, on receiving approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Some of the sustainable initiatives taken at the Devens plant include the following. Over 30% of the building materials were produced utilizing recycled materials. During the construction stage, 89% of the construction waste was not sent to landfills, but was processed for recycling. The use of low-flow showers, janitor sinks and ultra-low flow lavatories, which helped decrease the consumption of water by 46% in comparison with other similar-sized buildings. No ozone-depleting substances were used in the building’s cooling and heating or fire preventing systems. Special parking arrangement has been made for fuel-efficient and low-emitting vehicles. All indoor adhesives, coatings, sealants and paints utilized were low-volatile organic compound (VOC) materials.
In September 2009, the company was named one the greenest firms in the country by the Newsweek magazine.
Source: http://www.bms.com/