Sustainable Procurement & CSR News - Pharmaceutical Industry

Environmental sustainability is one of the most important priorities for the healthcare industry and for medical plastics and device manufacturers. The challenge ahead demands that supply chain partners focus on sustainability within their own organisations and across their extended supply chains.

Healthcare sustainability initiatives are gaining momentum. The Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council’s (HPRC) membership has grown to include some of the industry’s largest device makers. Health Care Without Harm is working globally to promote sustainable procurement practices, green hospitals and healthcare waste reduction, and through its “For a greener NHS” campaign, the U.K. National Health Service is tackling climate change on multiple fronts - from reducing hospital emissions to investing in telemedicine.

A recent study from McMaster University made headlines due to its findings that the pharma industry is a significant contributor to global warming and even eclipses the automotive industry in terms of carbon emissions.
With a deadline of 2022, Merck is targeting four aspects of packaging to reduce the amount of packaging it uses; achieve zero deforestation; improve plastic sustainability and maximise recycling.
Considering the company ships 30,000 packages each day, not to mention the complexity of the pharma supply chain, it’s an almost unfathomable task, but one that is necessary in an era in which environmental concerns are becoming more widespread.