Materials and waste

Our materials and waste targets

• Zero operational waste¹ by 2030

• 25% environmental impact reduction for our products and packaging by 2030

• 10% waste reduction from our supply chain by 2030​

 

^{Notes:
1 Target updated in 2024 to remove specific reference to the elimination of operational single-use plastics. This work has been integrated into the overall operational waste target}

How we plan to achieve our targets

Operational waste

We will achieve zero operational waste through a 20% reduction in the amount of both hazardous and non-hazardous waste we generate, and diverting the material we do generate into circular cycles - for example reuse, recycling and composting.

We continue to build on our long-standing operational waste management programme to identify opportunities to find more beneficial uses for waste, including providing by-products from our manufacturing processes to other industries as a raw material. ​

Products and product packaging

We have committed to a 25% environmental impact reduction for product and packaging by 2030. We will achieve this through integrating environmental aspects into the product design process for all new products and selected established products - with the aim of improving the environmental performance of the product throughout its whole life cycle. This includes using recycled card in packaging, e-leaflets for vaccines and more efficient manufacturing methods.

From 2024, all newly developed or acquired medicines will now have Sustainable Design Plans applied. These use industry-leading product sustainability methodologies to include environmental considerations at every step of the product decision-making process, from design to disposal. ​

We are a founding member of the Circularity in Primary Pharmaceutical Packaging Accelerator, a collaborative initiative across the pharmaceutical supply chain to develop and deploy solutions for the recycling of primary pharmaceutical packaging. ​

Supply chain

We’re working on a supply chain waste footprint to help prioritise procurement of materials that generate less waste and to support supplier engagement on waste reduction.