Sanofi Pasteur: Socially Responsible: Doing Good While Doing Well

This post was authored by Ellyn Schindler, Director, North America Corporate Social Responsibility and Community Engagement, Sanofi Pasteur US.

As a leading manufacturer of vaccines, Sanofi Pasteur has a long list of responsibilities to which we’re committed. We know there are millions of people around the globe who rely on us to produce vaccines that can help prevent them from contracting life threatening and life altering diseases. We know that scores of health care professionals turn to us for products and resources that can help them protect their patients from vaccine-preventable diseases. We also know that what we do every day is essential to protecting human health worldwide and that we couldn’t do any of it without our valuable employees.

At Sanofi Pasteur US, there are more than 2,700 employees committed to our vision of no one suffering or dying from a vaccine-preventable disease.  At our Swiftwater facility, nestled in the Pocono Mountains of Northeast Pennsylvania, there are more than 2,000 employees and several hundred contractors. As part of the Swiftwater site’s history, culture, and leadership, and as part of the Sanofi Group’s commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility, you’ll also find we’re quite dedicated to helping others in need and fulfilling our obligations as a good corporate citizen.

I’m pleased to say that Corporate Social Responsibility is part of our corporate fabric. At Sanofi Pasteur, we’re proud to be in the business of manufacturing high quality vaccines, yet we’re also proud of our community engagement and the assistance we’ve been able to provide.

In 2013 alone Sanofi Pasteur and its employees donated more than $1,000,000 to non-profit organizations, most of which are focused on bringing critical social service needs to Pennsylvania. Primary areas of interest include education, health and wellness, the environment, public services, emergency services, and the fight against poverty. In addition, Sanofi Pasteur and its employees donate to the local community through our annual company United Way Campaign. Sanofi Pasteur US is the single largest contributor to the United Way of Monroe County campaign each year, which supports more than two dozen area non-profit organizations. For the 2013 campaign, Sanofi Pasteur, which raised almost $300,000 for the United Way, received The United Way of Monroe County Campaign Chair Award (recognizing outstanding service in support of the campaign and a commitment to Live United), among others.

There was recognition as a top 50 Pennsylvania company that’s “creating jobs and making positive contributions to the state’s economy” at the inaugural Governor’s ImPAct awards in Hershey, too. It was there Governor Tom Corbett said “You bring prosperity and new opportunities to Pennsylvania’s communities…” In fact, in 2012 Sanofi Pasteur spent more than $345 million on Pennsylvania goods and services.

As you can see, our Corporate Social Responsibility is not about doling out money or supporting a trendy cause. It’s about making social progress, together. It’s about our generous, compassionate employees wanting to help fellow neighbors or the flood or typhoon victims they’ll never meet. It’s about our corporate culture of rich values and ethics, and a commitment to being a good corporate citizen each day. It’s also about a changing economy that makes corporate social obligations more prevalent than ever.  At both Sanofi Pasteur and Sanofi US, it’s socially safe to say we’re on the right track.