How does Incyte help contribute to a greener community?

Emma Larsen '25, Staff Reporter

 

It has finally come to the world’s attention that climate change is real. Communities, big and small, all over the world have started to take action. One right outside of the Wilmington Friends community has recognized and addressed climate change by environmental awareness. This community is Incyte.

 

For Incyte to have a better environmental impact, more time and effort has to be taken into consideration by the employees. This gives a lot of open space for the employee’s to suggest improvements. The improvements and adjustments Incyte employees make can affect their community and those around them. “In my role, I have the privilege of helping to decide what is best for Incyte, as well as what is best for the environment. It is very rewarding to take part in such important decisions, including those that may affect my colleagues, the communities in which we operate, and the health of our environment” says Kevin Davis, Director of Facilities. Incyte takes employee suggestions and feedback into consideration every day. The Greencyte Team is a global team that searches for ways to improve and adjust the environmental impact Incyte makes on the community constantly, one small step at a time. 

 

Small steps lead to bigger goals. All the individual’s offices and buildings have waste/recycling bins and reusable cutlery. On the outside, electric car charging stations are provided in all garages and parking lots. As Incyte works to become more sustainable, the small, nearly unnoticeable things make a difference. “We comply with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), which establishes a cradle-to-grave regulatory system for solid waste and emphasizes control of waste after generation,” describes Catalina Loveman, Executive Director of Public Affairs. To become greener, smaller steps are taken for a better future.

 

Becoming more environmentally friendly includes protecting the surrounding environment while increasing the stakeholders within Incyte. “When constructing the expanded headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, for example, the team needed to remove approximately 160 trees but then planted over 400 new trees once construction was completed, more than doubling the original number of trees on-site”. (Catalina Loveman) Trees are an important feature of the earth, and losing too many would not be beneficial for anyone. When Incyte creates new buildings environmental responsibility is the top priority. Incyte is currently working with Green Globes to achieve the Green Globes Certification on the particular building. 

 

Incyte respects and notices the natural world on and around the property. All operations through biodiversity are checked to be able to comply with international, national, and local regulations regarding the preservation of natural places, promoting open spaces, and assessing land use compliance. Incyte considers this thought through these plans: a stormwater pollution prevention plan, hazardous chemical spill response procedures, and a waste disposable program. 

 

Hazardous waste is not easy to dispose of, but easy to reuse. Incyte Corporation Headquarters, here in Delaware, has complied with EPA regulations in regards to hazardous waste. “All hazardous waste is recycled, reused, fuel-blended or disposed of at an EPA approved disposal facility”. (Catalina Loveman) Since being environmentally aware is one of Incyte’s priority goals, over 95% of hazardous waste has been fuel blended with energy recoverability over the past years.

 

Weather is normally predictable, but Incyte has incorporated different types of stormwater management facilities for when it’s not. This includes bio-retention ponds, porous asphalt and pavers, underground detention ponds, and a green roof. “Water presence sensors have been installed in high water usage areas to quickly detect leaks and reduce water usage”. (Catalina Loveman

 

Incyte’s main goal for the future is to be carbon neutral by 2025. This includes the global Scopes 1 and 2. These are the direct and indirect emissions from Incyte owned facilities, as well as other admissions. Additional goals for Incyte are to, “Achieve Green Globes Certification for a newly constructed building at U.S. Headquarters after completion, include reporting under the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) Framework by 2023, and complete the transition of the Field Fleet to hybrid and electric vehicles by 2025”. (Catalina Loveman

Step by step, communities will inspire other communities, and eventually, there will be a better outlook on environmental awareness caused by climate change. “As an innovative company, Incyte aims to utilize the latest technology and ideas to reduce its impact on the environment”. (Kevin Davis) Incyte, and many more communities around Wilmington Friends, have started to take their role on environmental awareness lately. “I think it would be better for us and the environment around us if we could become more environmentally aware with what we do. It’s also important to recognise what other communities do and incorporate that into our daily lives,” said Anya Agarwal, a freshman at Friends. Incyte has become more environmentally aware over the past few years, this has helped the environment greatly. How can other communities, like Wilmington Friends, take better care of the environment with the actions of the community?