Novartis is committed to keep the environmental impact from waste at a minimum and follows a clear waste management strategy. The aim is to prevent, reduce, recycle or use waste as an energy source, before selecting safe disposal as an option.
Waste prevention and reduction is always preferred to treatment, incineration or disposal. This helps ensure the overall environmental impact related to waste remains minimal, while energy use from waste is maximized. All Novartis sites report waste data on a quarterly basis and our waste contractors are routinely audited to help ensure our waste is properly managed.
We currently recycle approximately 80% of all non-hazardous waste and 60% of all hazardous waste and continue to maximize opportunities for reuse and recycling. We are also making progress toward eliminating single-use plastics in all our workplaces. In 2021, we eliminated 17 single-use plastic items at 132 sites.