Three years after making a joint commitment at COP27, the Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI) Health Systems Task Force is proving that collaborative action can meaningfully reduce emissions across the health system – from medicine design and manufacturing, to care delivery.

The Task Force is the first CEO-level collaboration focused on developing and scaling solutions to accelerate the transition to sustainable healthcare systems. Its work focuses on priority areas including supply chains, patient care pathways, digital innovation and consumer health and wellbeing. 

Impact to date includes:

Over 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) potential savings¹: Joint renewable power procurement in China and India is actively reducing emissions in the supply chain.

Supplier momentum doubled: The number of top suppliers committing to minimum sustainability targets set by the Task Force has doubled each year since 2023. More than 50% of the group’s top suppliers are now setting science-based targets or have already done so².

World-first standard: Launch of the first global Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) standard for pharmaceutical products, driving transparency and more sustainable design of medicines.

Pascal Soriot, CEO of AstraZeneca and Chair of the SMI Health Systems Task Force, said: “Our collaboration has proven that sector-wide partnership can accelerate the transition to sustainable healthcare at a pace individual action cannot match. We are going far beyond reducing emissions, embedding sustainability across patient care and helping to strengthen the resilience of health systems. Together, we can improve both human and planetary health.”

Reducing environmental impact across the supply chain

More than 50% of healthcare emissions stem from the supply chain³. To address this, the Task Force has successfully established renewable energy programs in critical manufacturing regions and launched joint environmental targets for suppliers.

In China, collective procurement unlocked 425 GigaWatt hours (GWh) of renewable energy in 2023 and 2024 , saving 250,000 tonnes of CO₂e annually. Building on this success, the program expanded in 2025 through collaboration with both domestic and regional suppliers. Eight suppliers joined to secure an additional 300 GWhs of renewable power, saving 150,000 tonnes CO₂e per year.

Now, the Task Force is replicating this model in India. Through an industry-first program, set up with support from GSK, participating companies co-invest in renewable energy capacity, which has secured over 30 GWh of renewable electricity across Gujarat and Maharashtra. The program is delivering long-term savings of well over 20 kilotonnes CO₂e annually and is significantly reducing energy costs.

Combined, these programs hold the potential to save over 1 million tonnes of CO2e.

Beyond energy, the Task Force is driving progress across the supply chain. An Open Letter from Chief Procurement Officers of member companies outlines supplier targets for climate and nature, including action on renewables, recycling, and water. This builds on targets first published in 2023. Direct engagement on these has resulted in accelerated adoption of the targets, with the number of top suppliers adhering to these doubling each year since 2023⁴.

Launching an industry-first global standard for pharmaceutical product LCA

To improve transparency and support efforts to reduce the environmental impact of pharmaceutical products, the Task Force worked in close collaboration with the SMI-PEG⁵ Pharmaceutical LCA Consortium to develop the world’s first global LCA standard for pharmaceutical products (PAS 2090), which was facilitated by the British Standards Institution (BSI). The standard, which provides a consistent basis for measuring environmental impacts across the lifecycle of medicines, was developed with consensus from stakeholders across the health ecosystem, including NHS England, the UK Office for Life Sciences and Quantis. The Task Force is now working to drive broader uptake of the standard across the pharmaceutical sector.

Simultaneously, the Task Force is empowering the clinical research sector with a shared methodology and calculator to measure and reduce emissions in Phase 2 and 3 clinical trials.

Building resilience for today and the future

Beyond working to minimize the industry’s environmental impact, the Task Force is partnering within and beyond the healthcare sector to improve climate resilience through a network on education and a programme focused on urban health.

The Task Force was a founding partner of The European Network on Climate & Health Education (ENCHE), which launched in 2024 and aims to integrate climate and health teaching into medical curricula. With over 50 universities now participating, the Network aims to reach 10,000 students by 2027, ensuring future healthcare professionals are equipped to address climate-driven health challenges.

While education prepares tomorrow's healthcare leaders, the Task Force is also driving action on the urgent climate-health risks in cities today. Partnering with the Resilient Cities Network and Yale School of Public Health, the Task Force has launched the ‘Resilient Cities, Reimaging Health’ program which is now active in 32 cities across 20 countries. The initiative equips urban leaders with evidence-based tools to tackle climate-driven health threats.

Scaling impact through partnership

These initiatives are open for others to join and endorse. Greater impact can be achieved if the sector comes together, ensuring a harmonized approach to transition to more sustainable healthcare. Any company, health system, payer, provider, university, government actor, or other is invited to reach out to explore opportunities to engage in the Task Force’s work.

About the SMI Health Systems Task Force:

The Sustainable Markets Initiative Health Systems Task Force is a public-private partnership launched at COP26. Members include CEOs and executive leaders of global healthcare companies who have provided funding, time, and expertise (AstraZeneca, Samsung Biologics, Sanofi, Reckitt, Bupa, GSK, Roche, UCB, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Chiesi and Merck), multilateral organisations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), and key public sector partners including NHS England, the Sustainable Healthcare Coalition, and the University of Glasgow.

The Sustainable Markets Initiative Health Systems Task Force is a partner of WHO’s Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH) and supports global efforts to build climate-resilient health systems through knowledge sharing and action.