Lilly Invests in Green Fleet for Ireland Emergency Response Team

Lilly's investment in sustainability is as green as the Irish landscape. Lilly Kinsale in County Cork, Ireland has adopted electric vehicles (EVs) for its emergency vehicle fleet. Four Renault vans — three small and one sizeable 4-wheel drive hybrid vehicle — are used as emergency response vehicles, replacing higher emission emitting diesel vehicles. The larger van has also been modified to serve as a complete command center in emergencies.

To meet Irish Health and Safety Authority compliance requirements, every three years the Kinsale site must prove its capability to work in partnership with the local Joint Emergency Services to handle any emergency at the plant. This fall, a new emergency response center was officially opened and fully electrified, using heat pump-based temperature control and any future renewable power sources.

"We’re doing our best to drive the sustainability agenda where we can,” said Gerard O’Shea, head of Health, Security, and Emergency Response at Kinsale. “We’ve transformed our Emergency Response Organization with the first emergency EV fleet for Lilly and dramatically improved response time as well as full first aid capability.”

Lilly set aggressive new targets and has an established global energy-management program. Lilly's 2030 goal is for 100% of purchased electricity to come from renewable sources and to achieve carbon neutrality in our operations.

Read about Kinsale’s new solar farm launched in 2021.