Environmental protection
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Our approach to environmental protection
Accelerating the delivery of sustainable, net-zero healthcare through science
We follow the science to lower the economic and environmental burden of healthcare and recognise the nexus between climate and health. Climate change, pollution and ecosystem degradation are already impacting human health – including through a rise in non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and respiratory diseases – and undermining the capacity of health systems.
Recognising the importance of working in partnership for a better future, we are one of 15 members of the Sustainable Markets Initiative Health Systems Task Force, chaired by our CEO Pascal Soriot, collaborating across the healthcare sector to accelerate the transition to net-zero health systems.
Bold climate action and investments in nature and biodiversity are vital to drive positive global health outcomes.
Our focus areas
Ambition Zero Carbon
Through our Ambition Zero Carbon strategy, we are pursuing ambitious science-based decarbonisation targets, accelerating our progress towards net zero, and managing the risks and opportunities presented by climate change. We are working to deliver net-zero healthcare, acknowledging that approximately 5% of greenhouse gas emissions are from the healthcare sector.
Product sustainability
People and the planet will benefit from those medicines which have the smallest possible environmental impact yet maintain the highest medical efficacy and safety standards. As technologies and healthcare systems evolve, so should solutions to reduce energy, water, material use, waste and pollution generated from designing, manufacturing and delivering medicines to patients.
Natural resources
We are taking action to protect and restore ecosystems by limiting environmental impacts across our value chain, investing in nature, biodiversity and water stewardship. The conservation and sustainable use of natural resources is vital to shape a healthy future with resilient people and communities, building harmony between society and the natural environment.
Progress on key targets since 2015*:
67.6% reduction
19.5% reduction
13.2% reduction
99%
*As at end December 2023, source: Sustainability Report 2023
Our achievements
708 suppliers
>19.9 million trees planted
97.6%
750+ material suppliers
Our highlights
AZ Forest
Restoring forests and biodiversity
AZ Forest is our global initiative to plant and maintain 200 million trees worldwide by the end of 2030, in partnership with local governments and expert delivery partners focused on global reforestation.
Planting trees sequesters carbon, combats air pollution and improves air quality, restores habitats for biodiversity and brings wider co-benefits such as improving food security, building climate resilience, and rehabilitating polluted watersheds to improve local water quality. Reforestation also helps support disease prevention and has social and economic benefits for rural communities, and promotes physical and mental wellbeing.
Water stewardship
Protecting a vital natural resource
Water is a limited natural resource and fundamental for life. Clean and plentiful water is also vital for the development and manufacture of medicines. We are committed to preserving and protecting the water supply, particularly in water-stressed areas, and we work to minimise the impact of our operations where we are located, as outlined in our Water Stewardship position statement.
EcoPharmaco Vigilance
Managing Pharmaceuticals in the Environment (PIE)
As a result of patient use and manufacture, pharmaceuticals are found in the aquatic environment, typically in nanograms per litre concentrations. We conduct a robust environmental risk assessment for our products and report a programme of safe discharge from manufacturing facilities. As part of our ongoing EcoPharmacoVigilance, we have launched a dashboard with partner Simomics Ltd. to publish the measured environmental concentrations of APIs used in the manufacture of medicines, in line with our commitment to transparency and scientific rigour.
