How We Care for Our Planet
Sourcing Renewable Energy
GMS Site Marks First Year Using 100% Renewable Electricity
In a significant stride towards sustainability, Zoetis celebrated the completion of its first year utilizing 100% renewable electricity at its Lincoln site in eastern Nebraska in 2023. Through proactive measures and strategic partnerships, in 2023 all of Lincoln’s ~55,000 megawatt hours electricity consumption came from renewable resources – resulting in a reduction of about 25,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
To ensure the validity of its renewable energy usage, the Lincoln site purchased renewable electricity certificates (REC's) from Lincoln Electric System that provides the site's electricity generated by nearby wind, solar and hydro power plants.
This initiative aligns to Zoetis’ strategic priorities – to advance sustainability in animal health for a better future – and aligns to our goal to be carbon neutral by 2030. To date, more than 30% of Zoetis manufacturing sites operate with 100% renewable electricity.
GMS Suzhou Bio Site in China Completes Rooftop Solar Project
Around the world, Zoetis is taking actions to address climate change, a significant global issue with wide ranging impacts. One of the ways we do this is by reducing our greenhouse gas emissions by using renewable electricity. In China, our Global and Manufacturing and Supply (GMS) biologicals site in Suzhou recently completed the installation of rooftop solar panels to generate electricity for the site.
The sprawling rooftop installation made of 2,700 photovoltaic panels, covering 14,300 square meters of space, produces around 1,500 megawatt hours of electricity per year, supplying more than 10% of the site's electricity demand. CO2e abatement, or the amount of carbon dioxide emission reduced by switching to solar power, is expected to be greater than 900 metric tons per year.
Zoetis' adoption of rooftop solar panels at its Suzhou site represents a significant step towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting sustainability.
Sustainable Packaging
Shifting Towards Sustainability Through Packaging
In 2023, Zoetis’ distribution process in Portugal successfully shifted from using plastic air pillows to re-utilized carton as dunnage materials.
The shift to re-utilized cartons represents a pivotal move in the team’s ongoing commitment to a more sustainable distribution process. The dedication of our colleagues in reimagining our packaging to reduce its environmental impact, while maintaining product safety and quality enables us to reduce our environmental footprint and advance our sustainability goals.
This switch offers benefits such as:
- Reduced Environmental Impact: The elimination of plastic air pillows significantly reduces plastic waste and lessens our carbon footprint.
- Closed Recycling Loop: Recycled cartons are not only environmentally friendly, but they also promote a circular economy by reusing materials that might otherwise go to waste.
Switching from Plastic to Paper
Caring for animals means caring for the planet we share. At our Lincoln manufacturing site in Nebraska, plastic clamshells have been replaced with paperboard boxes for Vanguard Rabies vaccine distributed in the U.S. market. This follows our earlier success of using paperboard for the same vaccine distributed in the South Korean and Japanese markets.
The new sustainable packaging is utilized across three variants of the vaccine, which have an estimated annual production of 12 million vials per year into 2024. The switch, which was rolled out in 2023, resulted in cutting PVC plastic use by an estimated 8.0 metric tons and overall packaging by an estimated 2.5 metric tons annually.
This change will aid in reducing the amount of plastic waste that enters landfill.