Haleon: Sustainable Packaging for Healthcare Products

Haleon, a company specialising in everyday health with a portfolio including Sensodyne Centrum and Panadol, has embedded sustainability into its core mission.

With its products reaching more than a billion consumers, Haleon aims to improve global health outcomes while advancing its environmental objectives. 

Chris Low, Head of Sustainability, Procurement and Packaging at Haleon, said on LinkedIn: “We’re proud to share that Haleon has been ranked #34 in Sustainability Magazine’s Top 250 Sustainability Companies for 2025.

"This recognition is a testament to the incredible progress we’ve made in just over three years – advancing sustainable innovation, embedding climate action across our supply chain and putting health and humanity at the heart of everything we do.

"A huge thank you to our teams, partners and suppliers who continue to push boundaries and make this possible.”

Climate goals and health inclusivity

Haleon's sustainability strategy is built on two pillars: making everyday health more inclusive and lessening its environmental footprint.

It has committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions across its value chain by 2040, which aligns with guidance from The Climate Pledge and Race to Zero initiatives.

By 2030, Haleon plans to achieve a 100% reduction in its net Scope 1 and 2 emissions from a 2020 baseline.

According to its 2024 progress report, Haleon has already reached a 50% reduction in these emissions.

For its more complex Scope 3 emissions, the goal is a 42% reduction by 2030 compared to 2022.

In 2024, Haleon entered into a Virtual Power Purchase Agreement with Schneider Electric and other participating companies to support a major new solar farm in Europe.

Decarbonising the healthcare supply chain

A key part of Haleon's strategy involves decarbonising its direct operations and extending these efforts to its supply chain.

Haleon is electrifying heat production, switching to cleaner fuels and using carbon offsets for any residual heat-related emissions.

It is also focused on reducing overall energy consumption by transitioning to renewable electricity, either through on-site installations or procurement from renewable sources.

To address Scope 3 emissions, Haleon is engaging with its suppliers to encourage their own transition to renewable energy.

This collaborative approach extends to product design, where Haleon is redesigning products to reduce and replace raw and packaging materials that have a high carbon intensity.

By working with partners, Haleon aims to create a more resilient and sustainable supply chain fit for the healthcare sector.

Advancing recycle-ready packaging

Haleon has set a goal to reduce its use of virgin petroleum-based plastic by 10% by 2025 and by a third by 2030, using its 2022 consumption as a baseline.

This involves optimising packaging through more compact designs and developing new formats.

Haleon also intends to substitute virgin plastic with alternatives such as recycled plastic and bio-resins.

A primary objective is to make all its packaging recycle-ready by 2025 and fully recyclable or reusable by 2030.

Recycle-ready packaging is defined as being made from materials compatible with current recycling infrastructure.

To achieve this, Haleon is removing problematic plastics like PVC, transitioning to mono-material packaging and using materials that are widely recycled.

Paper-based packaging, which accounts for about half of Haleon’s packaging footprint, is also being addressed.

Haleon is working towards a deforestation-free supply chain by 2030, ensuring all paper packaging comes from recycled or certified sustainable sources.

Brian McNamara, Chief Executive Officer at Haleon, says: “As a leading global player in consumer health, Haleon is well-positioned to recognise and understand the social and environmental barriers that hold people back from achieving better everyday health.

"We want to use our reach, expertise and products to empower and support people to take charge of their health and wellbeing while having a positive impact on the world.”