Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability
Building a healthier and more environmentally sustainable future
Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability (EHS&S) refers to the practices to protect the health and safety of employees and the public as well as the environment. Strong EHS&S management requires the implementation of systems and processes to assess and control the risks of environmental impacts and health and safety hazards. Besides assuring compliance with applicable legislation, EHS&S management systems drive continuous improvement and learning.
Equally important, the rapidly growing rate of resource consumption throughout the world is unsustainable. The pharmaceutical industry recognizes that reversing the use of natural resources, the degradation of ecosystems and the disruption of the environmental systems that support human life, are critical for the benefit of current and future generations. Therefore, we believe that an increased focus on environmental sustainability is key for the future health of our planet.
EFPIA member companies strive to invent, produce and distribute new medicines and vaccines in a safe and environmentally responsible manner. Furthermore, we are actively providing a safe and healthy workplace while reducing the environmental impact in our operations and those of our supply partners around the world. A risk management approach is employed to create transformational health innovations, while protecting our employees and employing practical aspects of environmental sustainability.
Building a healthier and more environmentally sustainable futureEFPIA and its members recognise the urgent need to address climate change and safeguard natural resources, given the profound impact on both human health and nature. We further acknowledge concerns of pharmaceuticals in the environment. It’s essential to move away from traditional methods and adopt innovative practices that reduce our environmental impact. We strive to go beyond compliance on the targets set within the various EU legislative requirements as part of the EU Green Deal initiatives under the Zero Pollution, Circular Economy and Climate Action plans. As leaders in the pharmaceutical sector, we are committed to taking decisive actions to reduce our environmental impacts across the value chain and contribute to building resilient and sustainable health system. We are leading the transition towards the decarbonisation in the pharmaceutical sector by setting ambitious science- based targets, investing in renewable energy, driving circularity, and collaborating with stakeholders.
EFPIA welcomes and embraces the Commission’s focus on the Green Agenda and a more sustainable Europe, and looks forward to engaging constructively on the roll-out of their policy priorities.
Our members are dedicated to making a positive impact on the lives of patients whilst operating in a sustainable manner. As we have a responsibility toward the health of the population, we are moving forward in making a beneficial impact by actively addressing climate change and the transition to a circular economy with changes throughout the value chain, as we continue to innovate.
Climate change
To positively impact patients while operating sustainable and contributing to a healthy environment and demonstrate leadership to prevent climate change.
Water - Pharmaceuticals in the environment
To minimise the impact of pharmaceuticals in the Environment on the water quality while safeguarding timely access to effective treatments for patients.
IHI projectsThe Innovative Health Initiative (IHI) Joint Undertaking is a Cross-sectoral approach to facilitate creation of new products and services to prevent, intercept, diagnose, treat and manage diseases and foster recovery more efficiently. It lays foundations for development of safer and more effective health care products or solutions that respond to unmet public health needs and that can be implemented into healthcare systems. This is achieved by facilitating collaboration between the key players involved in health research. Numerous projects have focused on improving the industries’ environmental footprint while bearing in mind that the safety and efficacy of the medicines we produce must remain the primary objective:
IMI Premier (Prioritisation and risk evaluation of medicines in the environment) (Kicked off September 2020): aims to deliver a novel assessment system for characterising the environmental risks of APIs, and which can be used to:
- screen and prioritise legacy APIs for a tailored environmental assessment;
- identify potential hazards associated with APIs in development and explore the options to steer the design process in a greener direction;
- make relevant environmental data on APIs more visible and accessible to all stakeholders.
PHARMECO (Advancing Safe and Sustainable by design Practices in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing) kicked off in November 2024 and will run until 31 October 2030. The goal of the project is to revolutionise pharma manufacturing: select technologies based on their potential to reduce the use of solvents, substances of very high concern, energy, and water; covering chemical synthesis, biomanufacturing and decontamination.
ENKORE (Propelling the shift towards the future of circular, safe and sustainable packaging and single use device ecoDesigned solutions through healthcare environments) kicked off on the 1 January 2025 and will run until 31 December 2028. The project aims to develop an eco-design framework for single-use medical devices and packaging and to focus on materials that minimise waste, optimise resource usage and reduce the carbon footprint, while ensuring devices are safe and fit for use.
Initiatives & Alliances
#medsdisposal is a campaign to raise awareness on how to dispose of unused or expired medicines appropriately in Europe, bringing information on current disposal schemes in European countries to one place. It is a joint initiative between European healthcare, industry and student organisations;
The Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Initiative (PSCI) is a group of pharmaceutical and healthcare companies who share a vision of better social, health, safety and environmental outcomes in the communities where they buy. Collectively PSCI members can share knowledge and expertise, across the industry, to drive complex, global change more effectively than any one organisation alone. The companies have joined forces to promote responsible supply chain management and better business conditions across the industry.
Antimicrobial resistance poses a formidable threat to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The United Nations called in 2016 for concerted action from governments and various sectors to address the implications of antimicrobial resistance in a comprehensive manner, and implement strategies at national level. The AMR Industry Alliance , led by the IFPMA, was the life-sciences industry response to the call for action.
The Alliance supports the increasing recognition that the value assigned to antibiotics and diagnostics often does not reflect the benefits they bring to society, nor the investment required for their creation.
The signatory companies committed to work to reduce the development of microbial resistance; invest in R&D that meets global public health needs with new innovative diagnostics and treatments; and to improve access to high-quality antibiotics and ensuring that new ones are available to all.
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A sustainable pharmacy chain will only be successfully realised by means of extensive collaboration between the parties that form the chain itself, from the development and acceptance of medicines, through distribution, prescription and use, to waste processing and water purification. In signing the Green Deal for Sustainable Care, the Sustainable Pharmacy Coalition is committed to improving sustainability and is focusing on the following three cornerstones: encouraging circular working methods, clean water/combating medicine residues in water, and reducing CO2 emissions. See the summary of underlying goals.
Link to report