How Cardinal Health Creates Sustainable Supply Chains

Cardinal Health is a world-class distributor trusted by thousands of pharmacies across the care continuum, from retail and hospital pharmacies to long-term care and community health centers. 

The company provides tailored solutions that support pharmacies of any size or specialty, enabling them to focus on patient care. 

With 70,000 daily deliveries to U.S. healthcare facilities and service to more than 29,000 pharmacies and 6,200 labs and nearly 90% of US hospitals, Cardinal Health combines reliability with flexibility to meet the unique needs of every pharmacy. 

Its proven expertise ensures the right balance between predictable operations and adaptable solutions for healthcare partners nationwide.

Inside Cardinal Health

Cardinal Health is a leading distributor and manufacturer in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors, delivering a comprehensive range of products and services that span pharmaceuticals, specialty medications, medical and laboratory products, home-health solutions and direct-to-patient services. 

The company operates nuclear pharmacies and manufacturing facilities, provides performance and data solutions and supports healthcare providers across hospitals, long-term care, retail and specialty pharmacies and physician practices. 

With more than 50,000 employees worldwide and US$222.6bn in fiscal 2025 revenue, Cardinal Health combines operational excellence with customer-focused innovation, developing solutions that enhance patient care and improve outcomes every day. 

All sustainability, net zero and sustainable procurement leaders should attend:

• Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE: The Net Zero Summit - QEII Centre, London, March 4-5
  
  
• Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE: The US Summit - Navy Pier, Chicago, April 21-22

Co-located with Sustainability LIVE, these events brings together CPOs, CSCO, CSOs, ESG leaders and senior decision-makers at a moment when sustainability, supply chains and commercial performance are increasingly interconnected.

Tickets can be booked online today for The Net Zero Summit and The US Summit. Group discounts available.

Its commitment to environmental, social and governance priorities further underscores its role as a trusted partner in healthcare, delivering safe, efficient and reliable products and services to meet the evolving needs of patients and providers alike.

Sustainability at Cardinal

Cardinal Health has established science-based targets for Scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), reflecting its commitment to measurable climate action. 

The company aims to reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50% by fiscal 2030 from a 2019 baseline and to ensure that 75% of its suppliers by spending have science-based targets by 2028. 

“At Cardinal Health, our environmental, social and governance (ESG) priorities are aligned with our business strategy, as we safely and efficiently deliver products and solutions for our customers and the patients they serve, while fulfilling our role as healthcare’s most trusted partner,” says Jason Hollar, Chief Executive Officer, in the company’s FY24 ESG Report.

“We made progress toward our first target, reducing our Scopes 1 and 2 emissions by 17% since fiscal 2019. 

“With these efforts, we’re reducing our environmental impact and generating savings across our businesses. 

“This work also allows us to respond to evolving customer expectations and support our customers in achieving their own sustainability goals.”

By the end of fiscal 2024, Cardinal Health had already achieved a 17% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions and 66.4% of suppliers by spend had established science-based goals. 

The company’s climate action plan includes decarbonisation levers that will evolve with technology and market conditions, while its Sustainable Technologies business reprocesses single-use medical devices, diverting millions of pounds of waste from landfills and helping customers avoid carbon emissions. 

Cardinal Health integrates these ESG priorities, including energy and climate, responsible sourcing, product innovation and community engagement, into its core business strategy, aligning environmental stewardship with operational efficiency, patient safety and long-term value creation for stakeholders

The Drug Supply Chain Security Act

Cardinal Health is a trusted leader in maintaining the safety, integrity and traceability of pharmaceuticals across the US supply chain. 

In compliance with the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA), the company provides 24/7 access to transaction data for eligible drugs at no cost, electronically tracks products at the individual package level using manufacturer product identifiers and works closely with manufacturers and trading partners to prevent counterfeit, contaminated, or otherwise harmful medications from reaching patients. 

Cardinal Health also leads the industry in refrigerated pharmaceutical packaging, offering insulated totes with performance-qualified phase-change panels that maintain precise temperature ranges of 2°C to 8°C during transportation. 

The green and orange panels work together to protect products from freezing or excessive heat and the materials are non-toxic, environmentally friendly and reusable. 

Customers can safely return products using the same totes and panels, ensuring that temperature-sensitive medications remain uncompromised throughout the supply chain. 

Through these initiatives, Cardinal Health demonstrates its commitment to patient safety, regulatory compliance and the reliable delivery of high-quality pharmaceuticals to hospitals, pharmacies and healthcare providers nationwide.