• Values and Commitments
• Global Health
• Community Programs
• U.S. Patient Assistance Programs
• Medicine Safety
• Environment Health and Safety
  • EHS Integration
  • Programs and Performance
    • Certifications and Recognition
    • Climate Change and Energy
    • Health and Safety
    • Reducing Our Footprint
      • Commitments and Actions
      • Performance
    • Water Use and Conservation
    • EHS Compliance
    • Green Buildings Program
    • Green Chemistry Program
    • Sourcing
  • Partnering and Community Outreach
  • Case Studies
• Diversity
• Education

Reducing Our Footprint

Our global environment, health and safety (EHS) management program is centered on minimizing the potential EHS impacts of our operations. This includes reducing our emissions to the air, minimizing the waste we produce and maximizing our use of recycled materials. We are also committed to effectively managing any waste we generate to eliminate its potential impact on human health and the environment.

Air Emissions

To help protect the Earth's ozone layer, and the health and well being of humans and the environment, we are committed to controlling and, wherever possible, eliminating the release of harmful compounds from our operations including:

• Ozone Depleting Compounds (ODCs) — compounds that rise into the stratosphere where they promote reactions that destroy the Earth's protective ozone layer, allowing harmful solar radiation (primarily ultraviolet radiation) to reach the Earth's surface.
• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) — photochemically reactive compounds that can react with nitrogen oxides and sulfur to form smog and ground-level ozone, which can be harmful to human health and the environment, or, when released to water, have the potential to negatively impact aquatic life.

Waste Reduction and Recycling

The massive volume of waste produced by both businesses and homes in our modern culture is putting an increasingly heavy strain on the environment. Managing waste — and reducing it wherever possible through the recycling and reuse of materials — is key to improving our shared environment and the health of our world. We work to continually improve our waste management efforts and expand our recycling capabilities to lessen our environmental impact.

Environmental Remediation

The contamination of soil and groundwater at industrial sites can pose risks to both the environment as well as the health and safety of employees working at the sites and those living in the surrounding communities. We work to prevent such contamination and, when contamination is found, to employ immediate remediation efforts to minimize associated risks.

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