New long term social impact and sustainability targets

Novartis has announced new long-term Social Impact & Sustainability (SI&S) targets and goals, reinforcing our commitment to go beyond breakthroughs to maximize the impact of our medicines to support inclusive, resilient healthcare systems worldwide.

Apr 13, 2026

The targets reimagine how innovation, access, global health and environmental sustainability come together to support more inclusive and resilient healthcare systems worldwide. They focus on where Novartis can have the greatest impact – for patients, communities and the planet.

Innovation and access

Our impact comes from embedding inclusion across every stage of innovation, from research and development through to commercialization. We commit to implementing a global access strategy for all new medicines launched and, by 2030, aim to increase the number of patients reached with our strategic innovative medicines in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

To help enable access at scale, we are working with countries to strengthen healthcare systems with the goal of establishing at least 40 healthcare system readiness roadmaps by 2030 across priority disease areas.

Our targets: Innovation and Access

  • Implement a global access strategy for all new medicines launched1
  • Increase the number of patients reached with strategic innovative medicines2 in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) at least 150% by 2030 from a 2025 base year
  • Establish at least 40 healthcare system readiness roadmaps covering Sjogren’s, chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), myelofibrosis, Huntington’s and rare renal diseases by 2030

These new long‑term targets reflect where we believe we can make the greatest difference – by embedding inclusion into how we innovate, expanding access to our medicines, strengthening health systems and reducing our environmental footprint. They set a clear direction and hold us accountable for delivering meaningful, measurable progress for patients, communities and the planet, while creating long‑term value for society.

Korab Zuka, Chief Sustainability Officer and Global Head of Social Impact

Find out more about our innovation and access strategies.

Global Health

For more than 85 years, we have stayed the course in global health; innovating to tackle diseases neglected by science and investing in the industry’s largest pipeline for malaria and neglected tropical diseases to meet the world’s changing needs. We’ve invested USD 490 million in R&D since 2021 and have renewed this commitment with an additional USD 250 million (minimum) to be invested until 2030, for neglected tropical diseases and malaria

Our community health initiatives are designed as novel models that complement our core business. The initiatives increase access to essential medicines in LMICs to improve prevention, screening and treatment for heart disease and cancer for populations. Our goal is to launch community health initiatives in ten countries by 2030.

Our targets: Global Health

  • Invest at least USD 250m to advance R&D for malaria and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) over five years (2026-2030)
    • In 2026, achieve submission for malaria treatment ganaplacide/lumefantrine
  • Launch community health initiatives in 10 countries by 2030

Find out more about how we’re reaching people in communities around the world.

Corporate foundations and giving

Our foundations and philanthropic programs enable us to build long-term partnerships that help strengthen health systems where needs are greatest. By bringing together public authorities, communities and other partners, we focus on creating sustainable change that lasts well beyond individual interventions.

A flagship example is the Novartis Foundation’s CARDIO4Cities program, which improves cardiovascular health outcomes in urban settings through cross sector collaboration, data driven approaches and system level change.

Our target: Foundations and Giving

  • Implement the Novartis Foundation3 CARDIO4Cities model in at least 30 major cities by 20304

Find out more about the Novartis Foundation CARDIO4Cities program

Environmental sustainability

Protecting the planet is essential to advancing human health. Our 2030 environmental ambitions set clear climate, waste and water targets to drive meaningful, measurable progress. Our longer-term ambition is to achieve net zero emissions across the value chain by 2040.

We have 2030 targets to reduce greenhouse gas reduction emissions from our direct operations and within our supply chain. We also have targets to manage water, waste and materials in ways that protect ecosystems, preserve biodiversity and reduce harm, in line with our commitment to a Nature Positive future.

Our targets: Environmental Sustainability

  • Achieve net-zero GHG emissions across our value chain by 2040
    • Reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 90% and absolute Scope 3 GHG emissions 42% by 2030, from a 2022 base year
    • Maintain a minimum of 90% absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emission reductions from 2030 to 2040,and reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions by 90% by 2040, from a 2022 base year
  • Reduce the amount of waste sent for disposal by 30% by 2030, from a 2022 base year
  • No water quality impacts from manufacturing effluents by 2030 across own manufacturing sites, labs and all active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) suppliers5
  • Implement water use reduction plans for own and supplier sites based in water-stressed basins by 2030
     

See more on our Reporting and transparency hub

Underpinning our business

When our people thrive, patients and communities benefit. This is why our commitment to culture and people underpins our new social impact and sustainability targets. By 2027, we aim to maintain gender representation in management, while strengthening fairness and transparency across our people practices. This includes reviewing human resources practices to identify and eliminate any potential sources of bias.

We also adopt the European Union (EU) Pay Transparency Directive requirements as our global minimum standard for internal pay equity and pay transparency reporting.

People and Culture

  • Maintain gender representation in management by 20276
  • Review our human resources practices beyond base pay to eliminate any potential sources of bias in accordance with applicable law by 2027
  • Make the new EU Pay Transparency Directive requirements our global minimum standard for internal pay equity and pay transparency reporting by 20277

Anchored in our Code of Ethics, Novartis Ethics, Risk and Compliance (ERC) Program sets clear principles and expectations for ethical conduct, guiding decision making and leadership behavior across the company, with a focus on effectiveness rather than targets. In addition, the program supports performance while meeting and exceeding regulatory and societal expectations on ethical behavior, anti corruption, human rights, and environmental responsibility.

Measuring our progress

Social impact and sustainability is integral to how Novartis creates value – shaping how we innovate, how our medicines reach patients, and how we contribute to stronger health systems and a healthier planet. 

Our new long-term targets focus on where we can have the greatest impact, reinforcing our commitment to go first and to maximize the value of our medicines. By measuring and publicly reporting our progress, we aim to drive accountability, accelerate delivery and help unlock better health outcomes for patients and communities around the world. 

Stay up to date on Social Impact & Sustainability

Make sure to keep up with our milestones and achievements as we go through the year by following our channels.

  1. Excluding cell and gene therapies, and radioligand therapies (RLT).
  2. Brands include: Cosentyx, Ilaris, Kisqali, Kesimpta, Leqvio, Zolgensma, Piqray, Scemblix, Xolair, Pluvicto, Fabhalta and expected new launches in 2026-2030.
  3. The Novartis Foundation is a non-for-profit organization and a legal unit independent of the Novartis Corporation.
  4. Major cities refer to cities with more than 1 million inhabitants.
  5. API suppliers include manufacturers of drug substances and drug products.
  6. Novartis makes employment decisions based on merit and relevant job-related factors, including the skills, qualifications and experience of the individual, without regard to sex/gender, race, ethnicity, or any other legally protected or personal characteristics unrelated to the job. As a global company, Novartis is committed to complying with all applicable laws, regulations and standards in the jurisdictions where we operate, and our policies and practices may vary accordingly to reflect local legal and regulatory requirements. United States-based employees of Novartis, as well as US citizens working outside the US for any Novartis affiliate, do not participate in the gender representation in management aspect of the EPIC pledge but the US does participate in all other facets of EPIC, with the goal of ensuring all our employees are given equal pay for equal work, consistent with applicable law.

  7. Refers to the expectations of the European Union Directive and not individual country legislation, which may impose stricter requirements.