Waste

2030 Waste Goals and Our Progress to Date

We have established waste goals to reduce landfill waste, address plastic waste from our operations and support integration of sustainability into the designs of our products.

Zero waste to landfill from routine operations

In 2024, 20 out of Lilly’s 32 facilities achieved the zero-landfill target, resulting in 1.1% of our waste from routine operations being sent to landfill. The number of our facilities reaching the zero-landfill target increased and there was an overall decrease from 2023 in the aggregate percentage of routine operational waste being sent to landfill.

Managing Waste Across Our Operations

In 2024, Lilly generated 125,000 metric tonnes of waste, representing a 4% reduction in total waste versus 2020. This reduction was achieved while increasing manufacturing production rates across the same period. Most of the waste generated by Lilly is considered non-hazardous by relevant regulatory authorities. The remaining waste we generate that is considered hazardous is carefully stored, packaged and shipped to approved treatment facilities, some of which recover energy from the waste. We strive to send hazardous waste to landfills when there is no other option or when required by law.

Plastic Waste Reduction Efforts

We are focused on minimizing our plastic waste footprint. To do this, we reduce the generation of plastic waste where possible, identify where recycled plastic materials are suitable for use in our processes and maximize the reuse and recycling of plastic waste. When reduction, reuse and recycling are not viable, we send plastic waste to a facility that converts waste into energy.

We were able to repurpose 95.7% of our plastic waste for beneficial use (reuse/recycle/waste-to-energy) in 2024, primarily driven by the recycling of plastics from our manufacturing processes and incoming packaging material. Of our total plastic waste, approximately 86.6% was recycled or reused. While we are close to achieving our established plastic waste goals, we anticipate that it will take significant efforts – such as new technologies and innovative external capacity – to achieve 100% beneficial use and at least 90% reused or recycled plastic waste.

As part of our commitment to continually improve our environmental impact, we optimize plastic use at our manufacturing facilities through reuse and recycling programs. As part of these programs, packaging from incoming materials can be recycled and used as feedstocks for other products such as composite decking, furniture and carpet padding.

At our headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana we have eliminated nearly all polystyrene foam materials from our cafeterias and transitioned to biobased to-go containers and other more environmentally friendly materials.

We have transitioned the majority of our plastic bottled drinks to aluminium cans. The shift to aluminium, which boasts higher recycling rates than plastic, aligns with our environmental sustainability goals. Additionally, we collect and recycle food-related cardboard packaging and compost kitchen prep food waste, which can be used to augment fertilizer needs for a commercial farm.

At many of our facilities in Europe, our food service providers have focused on elimination of single-use plastics for items such as cutlery, plates, drink accessories (stirrers and straws) and take-away bags.

Integrating Sustainability into Our Product and Packaging Design Processes

To support our 2030 waste goals, we continue to build on efforts to incorporate sustainability into the lifecycle of our products, delivery devices and packaging, with waste reduction in mind. Our goal is to integrate sustainability-focused design principles into future product and packaging design processes, while identifying and evaluating opportunities to enhance our current portfolio, including labeling in some markets that will better inform the patient on disposal. We aspire to develop products that are inclusive, trustworthy and sustainable.

Inclusive

We strive to design intuitive experiences that are inclusive of the unique capabilities and changing conditions of people around the world and that meet their diverse abilities and needs.

Trustworthy

We demonstrate care and compassion for people and aim to create devices and packaging that are consistent, reliable and easy to learn and use across all touchpoints.

Sustainable

We strive to design our therapies, devices, packaging and experiences for longevity and minimal environmental impact.

We aim to make our products more sustainable without sacrificing safety, regulatory requirements, user experience or patient outcomes. We strive to position our products at the top of our “reduce, reuse, recycle” waste hierarchy, and design for recyclability while also reducing medical waste and electronic waste. We are investing in research to identify renewable/bio-based materials to make our future packaging and devices more sustainable. We are also exploring collaborations and partnerships with our key materials suppliers to evaluate the feasibility of improving the sustainability of existing devices.

Lilly has developed a Design for Sustainability Guidebook to support the design of our next generation of delivery devices to meet Lilly’s environmental goals. The guidebook is used internally to provide insights into sustainability approaches in device and secondary packaging design, materials, and recycling. It aims to increase knowledge in this space and explore best practices when designing our devices and packaging in a regulated environment.

Current Initiatives

Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) – We have advanced our understanding of the carbon footprint for multiple devices, including both existing devices and devices in development, by conducting detailed lifecycle analyses of these devices. The lifecycle analyses were conducted in accordance with ISO 14040, which is a recognized international standard for assessment of the environmental aspects of a product or service in its entire lifecycle. Lifecycle analyses help identify key opportunities for reducing our carbon footprint using alternative materials, secondary packaging, transportation and manufacturing. We will continue to evaluate these opportunities, without impacting the supply of medicines to our patients. In addition, we have developed in-house LCA expertise to drive analysis of our next generation devices during the innovation stages. The effort is aimed at integrating sustainable principles into the next generation devices right from the start.

Device Molding Evaluations (Proof of Concept) – We started evaluating and identifying renewable materials that could be used as alternatives to existing plastic materials used in our devices. We conducted proof-of-concept (PoC) trials to make plastic components using renewable materials. Additionally, we continue to investigate energy efficient ways of molding the plastics used in our devices with the goal of reducing energy consumption.

Packaging Improvements – We strive to optimize the size of our product packaging. We have also developed alternatives for packaging used throughout our manufacturing processes, from in-process to final packaging, which allows for reuse or recycling and improves efficiency as we transport products globally. In addition, we are working to better inform our patients about recyclability or appropriate disposal of our products' packaging materials.

Working with Third-Party Suppliers – We continue to engage with our key suppliers of device and packaging components to better evaluate alternate low-carbon material and recycling options to reduce waste.

Long-Term Initiatives

Next-Generation Delivery Devices – For our next generation of devices, we strive to apply learnings from our lifecycle analysis studies to better design and develop future devices with lower environmental impact. Our Design for Sustainability Guidebook aims to help our internal device teams to improve designs and develop more environmentally friendly devices. We are continuing to advance our efforts in this area and aspire to develop durable, reusable devices that help minimize reduce medical and electronic waste.

Packaging Optimization – We are working to reduce packaging and transition to eco-friendly materials where possible. Additionally, the pharmaceutical industry has begun to evaluate the potential to move, as the default, to electronic patient information leaflets instead of printed materials. We recognize there are many aspects to consider, such as regulatory requirements, patient preference and access to technology. However, we are committed to working with stakeholders to assess and understand opportunities to reduce waste through technological advancements and digitization.

Take-Back and Recycling – We are exploring new ways to address end-of-lifecycle product waste. We have initiated pilot programs for device take-back and recycling processes, however, these solutions are not yet available in all geographies or at large scale. Learn more about our Product Stewardship effort.

Visit our Product Stewardship page to learn more about our approach to sustainability throughout product life cycles.

Waste Performance Data

Total Waste Generation¹	2020	2021	2022⁴	2023⁴	2024
Total Waste Generation (metric tonnes)	2020: 130,000	2021: 118,000	2022⁴: 121,000	2023⁴: 116,000	2024: 125,000
Non-Hazardous Waste (metric tonnes)	2020: 110,000	2021: 98,000	2022⁴: 99,000	2023⁴: 97,000	2024: 98,000
Hazardous Waste Generation (metric tonnes)	2020: 20,000	2021: 20,000	2022⁴: 22,000	2023⁴: 19,000	2024: 27,000

Total Waste Disposition¹	2020	2021	2022⁴	2023⁴	2024
Beneficial Use (includes recycled, reused and waste-to-energy)	2020: 120,000	2021: 108,000	2022⁴: 109,000	2023⁴: 103,000	2024: 112,000
Treated (includes combustion without energy recovery) (metric tonnes)	2020: 7,300	2021: 7,100	2022⁴: 8,000	2023⁴: 9,200	2024: 10,600
Landfilled (metric tonnes)	2020: 2,700	2021: 2,300	2022⁴: 4,000	2023⁴: 3,500	2024: 2,700

Waste Metrics for Goals¹	2020	2021	2022⁴	2023⁴	2024
Waste Generated from Routine Operations (metric tonnes)	2020: Not previously reported	2021: 107,000	2022⁴: 108,800	2023⁴: 99,700	2024: 112,900
Waste to Landfill from Routine Operations (metric tonnes)	2020: Not previously reported	2021: 600	2022⁴: 1,800	2023⁴: 2,000	2024: 1,200
Plastic Waste from Routine Operations (metric tonnes)	2020: Not previously reported	2021: 8,600	2022⁴: 10,600	2023⁴: 10,500	2024: 10,900
Plastic Waste Repurposed for Beneficial Use (includes recycled, reused and waste-to-energy) (metric tonnes)	2020: Not previously reported	2021: 8,400	2022⁴: 10,300	2023⁴: 10,100	2024: 10,400
Plastic Waste Recycled or Reused (metric tonnes)	2020: Not previously reported	2021: 7,600	2022⁴: 9,300	2023⁴: 9,100	2024: 9,400

Waste Goal Performance²	2030 Goal	2022⁴	2023⁴	2024
Percent of Waste from Routine Operations Sent to Landfill³	2030 Goal: Zero (less than 0.5%)	2022⁴: 1.8%	2023⁴: 2.0%	2024: 1.1%
Percent of Routine Plastic Waste Repurposed for Beneficial Use	2030 Goal: 100%	2022⁴: 97.7%	2023⁴: 96.6%	2024: 95.7%
Percent of Routine Plastic Waste Recycled or Reused	2030 Goal: Greater than or equal to 90%	2022⁴: 88.1%	2023⁴: 86.3%	2024: 86.6%
Integrate Sustainability-Focused Design Principles into Our Products and Packaging	2030 Goal: N/A	2022⁴: On Track	2023⁴: On Track	2024: On Track

Footnotes

Note: Certain figures may contain rounding differences.

Note: Bureau Veritas was engaged by Eli Lilly and Company to provide limited assurance over the specified 2024 environmental performance data presented in alignment with Lilly’s basis of reporting for key environmental sustainability indicators.

Total waste includes all waste generated from Lilly facilities, routine waste and non-routine waste. Non-routine waste is defined in footnote 2.
Waste goals exclude waste from the following categories: non-routine construction and demolition debris (e.g., building construction or demolition); uncontaminated soil, rock, concrete, bricks, etc., used for clean fill; waste generated as a result of remediation of surface or underground areas (e.g., soil, rock, water and personal protective equipment); vegetation (e.g., landscaping debris), wastewater that is conveyed offsite through piping (i.e., not shipped offsite in container or tanker) for treatment or discharge; and biosolids or other residue from wastewater or stormwater collection and treatment.
For the purpose of our landfill goal, “zero landfill” is defined as elimination, reuse, incineration, reclamation or recycling to the point that routine waste as generated will no longer be placed in a landfill. A site may achieve “zero landfill” status if less than 0.5% of its generated routine waste is sent directly to landfill. Lilly will meet “zero landfill” status if less than 0.5% of Lilly’s routine waste as generated is sent directly to landfill.
Updates to the Waste Performance data tables for 2022 and 2023 were made to correct for two business areas which reported duplicate plastic waste recycling data. These corrections have been made to the following metrics: total waste generation, total waste disposition, waste metrics for goals and waste goal performance.