Fujifilm Biotechnologies powers Denmark manufacturing site with solar energy

As part of an effort to create an entirely emissions-free biomanufacturing facility, Fujifilm Biotechnologies has transitioned its commercial-scale biologics manufacturing site in Hillerød, Denmark to operate entirely on solar power.

The contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), a subsidiary of Fujifilm Corporation, announced that all electricity used at the site is now sourced through a 10-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) that will offtake 40 GWh of renewable energy annually from a nearby solar park owned by Danish energy group Andel.

Expanding a sustainable footprint

The Hillerød site — originally owned by Biogen and acquired by Fujifilm in 2019 — has been undergoing a major expansion. The first phase, completed in 2024, added six 20,000-liter mammalian cell bioreactors, bringing total capacity to 12 x 20,000 L. Future expansion phases will add an additional eight 20,000 L bioreactors and two downstream processing streams, increasing the site’s footprint to approximately 51,500 square meters.

“When we made plans to expand the site we also decided that we wanted to make it one of the greenest sites on the planet,” says Christian Houborg, senior vice president and Hillerød site head at Fujifilm Biotechnologies. “That’s our vision — to make the site a 100% green facility. We’re not there yet but we have achieved these new electricity goals.” 

Houborg says that the shift to renewable power isn’t just environmentally responsible, but it also makes strong business sense. He noted that the electrification effort helps reduce both operational costs and energy dependency: Electrifying operations removes the need for external heat sources, lowers water consumption, and creates a positive cycle.

“When you use less water, you also use less energy to heat it. It’s good for the planet and good for business,” says Houborg.

Fujifilm Biotechnologies’ sustainability efforts are also resonating with its clients, Houborg added.

“Many of our customers are asking if we plan on investing in an emissions free future, and of course there are different expectations from customer to customer, but it's becoming an agenda that more of our partners are discussing,” noted Houborg. “We also see them recognizing the steps we are taking to be emission free.”

The company’s next sustainability milestone at Hillerød will be the installation of electric steam boilers, set to replace natural gas-fired systems by 2027.

In September 2025, Fujifilm Biotechnologies opened a biomanufacturing site in Holly Springs, North Carolina, which is a near-replica of its current commercial-scale site in Hillerød, created by leveraging the company’s modular approach — called kojoX.

KojoX, the Japanese term for factory and improvement, is meant to harmonize the design of facilities, equipment, processes, and quality systems to ensure that customers can seamlessly integrate manufacturing regardless of location. However, the new sustainability initiatives for the plant in Denmark are not currently being implemented at the Holly Springs site.

Still, by operating identical sites across continents, Houborg says the manufacturing sites can essentially function as a single supply chain.

“From an operational point of view, it’s an advantage having these two sites,” he says. “Each can support the other by sharing new ways of operating and exchanging ideas across the Atlantic.”

A path toward carbon neutrality

The PPA and other renewable energy initiatives at the Denmark site are part of the CDMO’s “Partners for the Planet” plan to convert operations to renewable electricity and achieve a 50% reduction in (Scope 1 & 2) GHG emissions by fiscal year 2030, and to focus on GHG emissions reduction throughout the supply chain, the company said in an announcement.

Globally, Fujifilm Biotechnologies’ sustainability actions are part of Fujifilm Holdings Corporation’s long-term goal of operating entirely on carbon-free energy by 2040.

“Right now our target is to achieve 50% reduction of our impact by 2030 and the overall target for Fujifilm is to go 100% neutral by 2040,” says Houborg. “As a manufacturing site, we’re hoping that we can be entirely emissions free earlier than 2040 but at least that’s what we are working with."