The pharmaceutical industry is a significant contributor to plastic waste, and the issue with medicines looms large. An estimated 165 million plastic pill bottles enter oceans, waterways, and landfills each year – enough to fill more than 3,300 Olympic swimming pools, according to Cabinet Health.

Despite a difficult past year with widespread recalls for ventilators, Philips’ chief ESG & legal officer Marnix van Ginneken is encouraged by growing momentum to reduce the environmental footprint in the industry. The company will continue to drive a shift to a circular economy, and indeed, their sales from circular revenues grew to 18% of sales, up from 16% just a year ago.

(Credit: Canva Pro) Changing weather patterns are impacting the spread of water-, vector- and food-borne diseases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that climate change …