Strategy continued
Our management methods
Our approach to environmental management is compatible with ISO14001, and our internal Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) auditors are trained to audit against ISO14001. Two of our largest sites, Gaithersburg and Macclesfield, attained ISO50001 certification, with the latter also ISO14001 certified.
Together, these sites account for approximately 20% of our environmental footprint.
Minimising impacts across the life cycle of a medicine
We are committed to ensuring effective
environmental management of our products, from pre-launch through to product end-of-life. We work at all stages of a medicine’s life cycle – from the design of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) production and formulation processes, devices and packaging to distribution, patient use and final disposal. We aim to lead our industry in understanding and mitigating the effects of pharmaceuticals in the environment (PIE).
Applying our SHE triggers model helps us identify environmental impacts associated with product development. It ensures we consider these at the earliest possible stage of development for manufacturing processes, products, devices and packaging. It flags potential SHE issues to be investigated and, where possible, designed out of the process. The model gives our scientists risk-assessment tools to ensure the products they are developing have the best possible SHE profile.
Reducing pills
In 2017, AstraZeneca launched a tablet formulation of one of our cancer medications in the US to provide a reduced pill burden for patients compared to capsules. The outcome of the US and anticipated future approvals has enabled a tablet with a longer shelf life compared to capsules and a dosing regimen with a reduced amount of API. A streamlined LCA of this improved formulation found:
• A GHG reduction of ~90kg CO2e/patient per year
• A hazardous waste reduction at peak year sales of 471 tonnes per annum.
Life-cycle analysis
In 2017, we conducted a life-cycle analysis (LCA) study on the use of one of our respiratory drugs and its delivery system, in collaboration with an industry coalition. This study found that using the right medicine in the right way reduces environmental impacts, including:
• 50% reduction in GHG emissions
• 60% reduction in waste production
• 32% reduction in water consumption.
Reductions are across all activities of the care pathway, despite the increases associated with the manufacture, use and disposal of the device itself.
The reduction in environmental impact is primarily due to fewer hospital admissions and associated travel. GHG reductions also resulted from reduced reliever use.
Packaging redesign reduces environmental footprint
We are conducting several ongoing packaging reduction and recycling pilot projects. In 2017, we successfully transitioned to new, more efficient packaging for an oncology medication in Japan. We changed the blister-style packs from aluminium sheets of 7 tablets to transparent sheets of 14 tablets. This change addressed the preference of patients, pharmacists and doctors to see the tablets in pockets, and resulted in:
• Improved customer satisfaction
• Improved manufacturing efficiency
• Decrease in costs by 40% per sheet
• Reduction in waste of 10%
• Reduction in GHG footprint of 22%.
Strategy continued
Active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) production and formulation, e.g.
tableting
• Extraction of resources and manufacturing of organic and inorganic commodity chemicals
• Use of excipients, additives and solvents
• Energy in preparation of starting materials, intermediates and processing
• Solvent disposal
• Potential release of API to the aquatic environment from manufacturing
• Green chemistry – developing effective manufacturing processes that use fewer and lower environmentally impacting chemicals and fewer natural resources, including energy and water
• Investing in the recycling and reuse of solvent wastes
• Safe API discharge programme with AstraZeneca and globally managed supplier sites
• Eight environmental assessments of development products completed. The reviews detailed hundreds of chemicals for potential impact on the environment, alongside legislation and green chemistry considerations
• Process mass intensity (PMI) – our metric for resource efficiency in API production – showed a 22% decrease across product portfolio
• Safe discharge targets achieved for AstraZenca and our suppliers
Device production
(where required) Use of materials for device manufacture (e.g. glass,
plastics, metals and electrical components) Environmental sustainability assessments (ESAs) for the device and packaging in the development stage to facilitate selection of the most sustainable device
• Eight ESAs completed on devices
• ESA tool launched Packaging Use of materials, including:
• Primary packaging (bottle, blister packs, vials, etc)
• Secondary packaging (cartons, leaflets, etc)
• Tertiary packaging (shipping box, pallet and shrink wrap, etc)
Developing more sustainable packaging solutions that reduce resource consumption and waste, including:
• Reducing packaging size and materials used
• Switching to materials from recycled or renewable sources
• Using materials that can be easily recycled
• Nine ESAs and LCAs completed on packaging
• ESA tool launched
Distribution Transportation Pursuing more efficient and sustainable modes of
transport, such as switching from air to sea 63% of all freight (measured in tonne.km) was by sea in 2017
Patient use Use by patients of our medicines and devices • Environmental risk assessments (ERAs) conducted as part of product approval, and environmental risk management plans (ERMPs) in place for each product
• Patient communication and education programmes to promote sustainable use of medicines
• EcoPharmacoVigilance (EPV) programme to monitor environmental product risks globally
• All ERAs submitted and post-approval queries resolved
• Animation launched describing our scientific leadership on PIE
• EPV programme successfully delivered with no new environmental product risks identified
Disposal • Disposal of unused medicines
• Energy reclamation from waste
Responsible waste management, including promoting the safe disposal of medicines
• We are a founding member of a US Industry Sharps Working Group, implementing a patient education programme with other stakeholders, and have launched a new website: safeneedledisposal.org
• We help raise public awareness of safe disposal through the EU #medsdisposal campaign
Incineration
Life cycle of a medicine
Life-cycle stage What the stage involves Our approach to managing the impacts 2017 highlights