We believe everyone can contribute to creating a more sustainable future.
Our values and the way we approach our science and our business reflect our commitment to making a positive difference to people and our planet.
By empowering the scientists who are creating new technologies such as better models of human disease, regenerative medicines and cellular agriculture we make our contribution to a more sustainable future for all. As we do this, we are dedicated to being a “good” company and we seek ways to reduce waste, be kind to our natural environment and support people in our local and international community.
“Building a sustainable company isn’t optional, it is our responsibility to ensure that our actions today support the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. At Qkine, we seek to advance science, be ethical and transparent in all our activities and create a safe learning environment for the team. By finding a balance between generating value, social responsibility and reducing waste in all its forms, we hope to create a positive legacy. Many small actions of many people will create the future we all hope for.”
Catherine Elton
CEO, Qkine
Values
The United Nations 2023 agenda set out a global plan to promote sustainable peace and prosperity and to protect our planet. These actions are codified in the UN Sustainability Development Goals. We actively seek out actions that contribute to six core goals:
We prioritize the well-being of all our employees and stakeholders. Small changes in attitude and environment have a disproportionate influence on happiness and the sense of fulfilment at work. Our UK headquarters back onto a beautiful Cambridge common and the river Cam, and we are situated within a thriving local community; we pride ourselves on providing a great working environment and facilitating the use of sustainable transport. Our digital and cloud-based systems enable flexible and hybrid working so everyone can contribute to our success and accommodate individual circumstances to achieve balance in life. Through our innovation and exceptional product quality, we are also proud to contribute to the work of many of our customers who are exploring fundamental biology, developing new regenerative cell therapies and precision medicine applications, and improving drug discovery. Our small contribution to the health and happiness of future generations.
Education is a fundamental human right and a key driver of sustainable development. We are a rapidly growing company and recognize the positive impact of lifelong learning, all our team have equal access to learning and development opportunities to enhance skills, their contribution to our growth and career opportunities. We aim for everyone to have participated in formal qualification, training, mentoring or coaching opportunities in 2023.
We actively champion our team participating in outreach activities and host young people from all backgrounds to give them an insight into a STEM working environment. We pledge to seek new ways to support skills development in the life sciences manufacturing sector, including apprenticeships.
Our aim is to create a welcoming and diverse workplace that values lived experiences, recognizing their impact on decision-making, outcomes, and business performance. We actively consider unconscious bias and inclusion when hiring and encourage conversations regarding Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI). Our commitment to promoting equality and diversity in hiring extends to supporting flexible, remote, and hybrid work arrangements. We have numerous opportunities for parents and carers with shorter working days, thus making our practices equitable and fair. We are proud to be a female CEO-led company, and gender equality is evident in our senior leadership teams and across all departments. We are passionate about fostering the next generation of diverse leaders and many of the team participate in formal and informal mentoring and partnerships with universities and accelerator programs. We sponsor and participate in business and STEM events for women and girls.
Sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth is essential to provide full and productive employment and contribute to local and national economies. At Qkine, over the last six years we have developed and scaled technologies invented at the University of Cambridge to form a rapidly growing life sciences manufacturing company.
We have doubled the size of our team this year and will continue to grow to fulfil our goal of providing innovation, higher product quality and vital supply chain stability to the UK and international biotechnology community, including high-growth sectors such as stem cell science, regenerative medicine and cultivated meat. By achieving sustainable financial growth and empowering our team, we maximise our contribution to achieving this goal.
Innovation is one of our core business values, and we are actively addressing a lack of innovation in the bioactive protein supply chain, which no longer supports the drive towards more sustainable, more scalable and animal-free processes. Over 30% of our products are innovative or unique to the market. We will continue to invest in research and development, promote entrepreneurship, and proactively seek and support the growth of new and emerging technologies.
Innovation happens in all aspects of our company, we are constantly finding ways to reduce process or physical waste and improve processes. As an SME, we recognize the importance of promoting sustainable industrialization to create job opportunities, drive innovation, and stimulate economic growth while reducing social and economic inequalities. By actively partnering with and promoting other SMEs we help support growth and success across the industry.
Sustainability is a crucial part of building a better future, and we have made it an integral part of our company values. It is a challenge to reduce waste, particularly single-use plastics in a laboratory environment. Our goal is to help the life science industry become more sustainable, and we achieve this by continually seeking more sustainable options in everything we do.
Our product packaging is cardboard and recyclable wherever possible and we have made the proactive decision to develop new processes to provide all our products in a lyophilized form, which is good for the bioactive proteins we make, easier to store for customers and reduces the need for dry ice shipping and expanded polystyrene boxes. We have implemented small but impactful changes in our refurbished building, even down to choice of toilet paper and environmentally-friendly cleaning products. We have also taken steps to promote sustainable commuting options, such as offering a cycle-to-work scheme, hybrid and flexible working and being located in a central area with good transportation links. Our commitment to sustainability extends beyond our company’s operations. We work with our suppliers and partners to ensure they share our values and commitment to sustainable practices.
