We boldly face the challenge of discovering, developing and delivering innovative medicines while doing what is right for people and the planet. To do this, we're embedding sustainability into our culture so it is integral to everything we do. We prioritize the reduction of our environmental footprint across our business – from research and development through manufacturing, distribution and end of life.
Carbon Reduction Strategy
We aim to achieve carbon net-zero greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 2030.
Through operational and capital expenditures, equipment retrofits and upgrades, building management systems and operational changes, we continue to identify and implement energy conservation measures to deliver year-over-year savings.
Transitioning to renewable energy is an important component of our long-term GHG emissions reduction strategy. As part of our commitment to clean and renewable forms of energy, we are a member of the RE100 initiative created by the Climate Group, a nonprofit working with businesses and governments globally to address climate change. We've committed to obtaining all electricity used in our operations from renewable sources by 2025.
Our participation in the Climate Group’s EV100 initiative signals our commitment to transitioning our fleet to electric and other low emissions vehicles and increasing our corporate office charging infrastructure globally by 2030.
We've also deployed the first phase of our EV pilot program in the U.S., which aims to replace 10% of our fleet’s combustion engine vehicles with EVs upon full implementation. In Belgium and the Netherlands, all fleet vehicles moving forward will now be required to be 100% electric.
Our supply chain consists of hundreds of direct suppliers and thousands of indirect suppliers across the world. As emissions from our supply chain account for a significant portion of our GHG emissions, our suppliers and their supply chain management are essential to our ability to deliver on our emission reduction goals.
We collaborate with them to address issues, build capacity and achieve shared goals such as enhancing diversity and reducing emissions.
Access Supplier InformationWe offer a variety of programs and initiatives to support our employees’ use of low-carbon transportation, including commuter bus services, vanpool programs, electric charging stations and support for bicycle transportation including shower facilities. We also locate our offices near public transportation.
Green Buildings Help to Deliver Sustainable, Responsible Growth
We pursue and align with green certifications (such as LEED and BREEAM) for our construction projects, including complex environments like laboratories and manufacturing facilities. We approach these projects with the goal of reducing the ecological footprint of buildings and promoting energy efficiency, water conservation, sustainable material selection and overall environmental performance. As part of our net-zero carbon ambition, we aim to eliminate combustion of fossil fuels in all new construction and major renovation projects. For operations where we lease, we prioritize sites that have been recognized for their sustainability.
Conserving Natural Resources
Pharmaceutical manufacturing is a highly water-dependent process and adheres to stringent water purity requirements. We're working toward the goal of achieving water neutrality in water-stressed regions by 2030 and reducing potable water withdrawals at our owned facilities by 30% from a 2019 baseline.
We follow a multiyear water efficiency road map, setting annual targets. About one-fifth of our locations, excluding our supply chain, operate in water-stressed basins, yet these locations have historically comprised more than half of our water withdrawals. Achieving our water neutrality goal will benefit local watersheds and the communities that depend on them, while also helping to safeguard biodiversity and the natural environment.
By improving sourcing standards and implementing internal and external reuse programs, we're working to reach aggressive waste reduction targets and reduce our contributions to landfills.
All of our owned and select leased sites are working to divert, at a minimum, 90% of non-hazardous waste from landfills. Each owned site will pursue zero waste to landfill certification from a third-party by 2030 with Foster City planning to meet this goal earlier.
Each Gilead site has a plan to eliminate the use of single-use plastic items by 2025, exclusive of our R&D and manufacturing operations. We aim to replace them with non-plastic, compostable or recyclable alternatives wherever possible. We've targeted plastic cups, food containers, lids, utensils, beverage bottles, straws and stirrers for elimination.
Hazardous waste generated in our R&D and manufacturing operations is managed within state/local/federal requirements.
We're taking a comprehensive approach to reducing the environmental impact of our packaging. We aim to eliminate and reduce non-essential materials, utilize materials that are recyclable, introduce paper fiber and plastic recycled content and source paper fiber from sustainably managed forests. We're committed to working closely with our suppliers to achieve this goal.
We use green and sustainable chemistry practices to reduce the environmental impacts of our manufacturing processes by implementing green chemistry protocols such as the innovative use of enzymatic catalysis, flow chemistry and greener solvents in active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) synthesis.
Governance
Our commitment to protect the environment and provide a healthy and safe workplace is safeguarded by strict environmental, health and safety practices. We commit to implementing management systems aligned with the International Standards Organization, ensuring all employees take a pro active role in our health and safety. We continuously strive to improve our practices and raise our standards to make a positive impact on the workplace, marketplace, supply chain and the communities in which we do business.
Making sure medicines get to patients who need them is critical. To meet the growing demand for innovative medicines, we're optimizing and diversifying our manufacturing capabilities in line with social and environmental best practices — without compromising quality.
The manufacturing of our APIs and drug products must follow good manufacturing practice (GMP) regulations established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other global health authorities. All facets of production, including manufacturing procedures, testing methods, maintenance of premises and equipment, training, personal hygiene of staff and appropriate documentation, are covered under GMP regulations. These quality measures help ensure that we're in compliance with all environmental regulations, as well as preserving the health and safety of local employees.