Our ambition is to be a catalyst for positive change. Our continued investment in our planet supports our purpose to reimagine medicine to improve and extend people’s lives. It is also a way to build trust with society, if our actions are guided by a commitment to transparency and creating enduring change.
Our Commitments
People
We will encourage associates across our operations to adopt an environmental sustainability mindset.
Patients
We will work to understand how a changing climate will impact people's health and deliver environmentally sustainable medicines.
Planet
We will minimize the impact of our actions on the planet and invest in environmental solutions that also protect biodiversity.
Our Strategy and Targets
We aim to drive sustainability through our own operations, as well as those of our suppliers, and we have set ambitious targets to minimize our impacts on climate, waste and water.
In 2021, we committed to becoming Net Zero by 2040. We are currently in the process of aligning our strategy and targets to the new Science Based Targets (SBT) Net Zero Standard published in October 2021.
Our 2022 Performance
49%
reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 1 and 2) vs. 2016 baseline
42%
reduction in water consumption in our own operations vs. 2016 baseline
59%
reduction in waste disposal vs. 2016 baseline
Environmental sustainability reporting
We take our responsibility to protect the environment seriously. Additional information about our progress against targets and our efforts to reduce our impacts on the environment is published in the following documents.
Novartis in Society Integrated Report 2022
The Novartis in Society Integrated Report covers our business, strategy and performance, including on environmental, social and governance topics.
Environmental Performance Indicators 2021
Environmental data in the Novartis in Society Integrated Report includes best estimates for October-December. This data table with actual data for the full year 2021 was published in H2 2022.
Environmental Sustainability Resources
- In accordance with SBTi net-zero standard
- All Novartis sites to reduce water consumption in all areas and be water neutral in water-stressed regions by not depleting local water reserves. Water-stressed regions are determined using WWF water risk filter
- Plastic neutral defined as weight of plastic packaging entering the environment for disposal is approximately the same as weight being recovered for recycling