Eli Lilly and Company: Making Healthcare Accessible For All

Health literacy, which means being able to access and understand healthcare information, is vital to ensure a patient receives the treatment they need.

But despite its importance, almost half of the population struggles to understand health information, according to the National Institute for Health and Care Research.

Organisations and businesses like Eli Lilly and Company are working to improve global health literacy, helping to make healthcare more accessible for everyone, regardless of education level or ethnic group.

The firm says its purpose is to make life better, which includes protecting and preserving the world we live in.

For its sustainability commitments, Sustainability Magazine has awarded Eli Lilly and Company 55th place in its Top 250 World’s Most Sustainable Companies 2025.

Eli Lilly and Company’s sustainability goals

As outlined in its latest sustainability report, Eli Lilly and Company has set measurable targets to track the progress of its sustainability strategy.

These targets include becoming carbon neutral in its own operations by 2030 and enhancing its full value chain emissions reporting.

It also aims to source 100% of purchased electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

To mitigate the impact of its business operations on the environment and achieve its 2030 goals, Eli Lilly and Company is using a three-tiered approach to sustainability:

• Reducing energy and emissions by making overall operations more efficient
• Replacing carbon intensive processes and energy sources with low carbon alternatives
• Offsetting remaining emissions and energy sources by purchasing emissions offsets from high quality carbon reduction projects

While the company plans to expand its global presence in the pharmaceutical sector, it plans to align its growth with its sustainability goals.

David A. Ricks, Chair and CEO of Eli Lilly and Company, says: “Key to our progress on behalf of patients is our long-standing commitment to sustainability, as we work to strengthen communities, responsibly steward natural resources and empower our global workforce.

“We continue to pursue ambitions, measurable sustainability goals, which are embedded in our business strategy and operations.”

Accessibility in US healthcare

Eli Lilly and Company aims to bring affordable access to more people across the world, including changing its approach to pricing in the US.

It also supports the realignment of financial incentives for the entire pharmaceutical supply chain, so that patients can directly benefit from its pricing. To this end, the firm provides clients with affordability solutions through patient support programmes and co-pay assistance.

For many of its migraine, immunology, diabetes and obesity medicines, its programmes help bring eligible patients’ monthly costs to below US$35.

Eli Lilly and Company is working with other stakeholders in the US care system to advocate for policy changes to address systemic gaps in patient affordability.

This includes lower out-of-pocket costs for patients as well as additional transparency in the healthcare system, which encourages fair practices that can benefit local pharmacies and consumers.

Additionally, Eli Lilly and Company is striving to improve health literacy by providing patients with easy to understand information about its medicines and devices.

This helps communicate clearly and effectively to patients, removing barriers that can prevent better healthcare and reducing any confusion from cultural or language differences.

Waste management solutions

To help conserve energy, resources and landfill space, Eli Lilly and Company is committed to minimising its waste output.

It aims to only send waste to landfills as a last resort or when it is legally required to.

Its target is to have zero waste go to landfills from routine operations and have 100% of plastic waste repurposed for beneficial use, with at least 90% recycled or reused.

In 2024, 20 out of the company’s 32 facilities achieved the zero waste to landfill target, resulting in 1.1% of its waste from routine operations being sent to landfill.

Eli Lilly and Company’s main focus is on minimising its plastic waste footprint.

To achieve this, it is working on optimising plastic use at its manufacturing facilities through reuse and recycling programmes.

These programmes allow packaging from incoming materials to be recycled and used as feedstocks for other products such as composite decking, furniture and carpet padding.

At its headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana, US, it has eliminated nearly all polystyrene foam materials from its cafeterias, opting instead for biobased containers and other environmentally friendly materials.

It has also transitioned the majority of its plastic bottled drinks to aluminium cans, providing higher recycling rates which supports the company’s sustainability goals.

Eli Lilly and Company is exploring ways to make its products more sustainable, by optimising packaging and end of life services.

It is working to reduce its packaging footprint and transition to eco-friendly materials where possible.

For example, the pharmaceutical industry is moving towards using electronic patient information leaflets instead of printed materials.

The company is also working on addressing end of life product waste, initiating pilot programmes for device take-back and recycling processes.

“For nearly 150 years, Lilly has been at the forefront of creating breakthrough medicines that improve human health,” David says.

“Our most profound global impact is reflected in the millions of people who benefit from our medicines each year.

“Guided by our values of integrity, excellence and respect for people, we will continue to tackle the most critical medical challenges in ways that transform human health and make a lasting contribution to humanity.”