Across Amgen, teams are looking for ways to use resources efficiently, reduce costs, and improve environmental sustainability.
Across research and development, packaging, transportation, and sourcing here are examples of how Amgen teams are putting sustainability into practice in practical ways.
Making Labs More Sustainable
One opportunity to reduce energy consumption can be found in labs across the company: ultra-low-temperature freezers used to preserve cell lines, antibodies, and other research materials.
Raising the temperature of these freezers by small amounts can significantly reduce energy consumption, without impacting the stored materials.
Enter the My Green Lab® International Freezer Challenge—a free, global competition encouraging laboratories to implement sustainable practices in cold storage management. Amgen has won the competition three times in the past five years, and Amgen's participation in the challenge has grown from four labs at two sites in 2021, to 49 labs across 11 sites today.
“Across all participating Amgen labs, we saved an estimated 5,000 kWh of energy per day which is equivalent to the amount of energy 166 average U.S. households consume daily,” said Patrick Cannon, scientist, Research & Development.
Green Chemistry in Action
Green chemistry is the design of chemical products and processes that achieve the desired outcome while minimizing hazardous materials, waste, energy use, and environmental impact. At Amgen, it is integrated into synthetic process development to support the manufacture of clinical and commercial medicines.
In one example, a team redesigned a manufacturing process to eliminate solvent-intensive purification steps and reduce unnecessary processing. “For one key building block, the redesign cut the number of manufacturing steps by more than 50% and reduced waste by more than 80%,” said Janine Tom, senior principle scientist, Process Development. At peak manufacturing demand, the improvements could reduce waste by an estimated 90 metric tons per year.
The team received the Peter J. Dunn Award for Green Chemistry and Engineering from the American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute Pharmaceutical Roundtable in recognition of its environmental impact.
Rethinking the Environmental Footprint of Packaging
Another area where Amgen is making sustainability improvements is in redesigning the packaging used for medicines. An effort Amgen calls “Packaging of the Future” is leading to simpler, standardized, and recyclable secondary packaging across products and markets at scale.
Examples include shifting away from plastic trays and blister packs to reduce overall plastic use in packaging, and moving from plastic tamper-evident seals to security features integrated directly into the carton. “These changes reduce plastic use, support recyclability, simplify opening for patients, and can improve line efficiency,” said Erik Smeels, director of engineering, Process Development.
Exploring Electric Vehicles for Delivery and Sales Fleets
Electric vehicles offer another opportunity to reduce emissions from how Amgen transports medicines and supports its commercial activities.
Amgen's Supply Chain team has been testing electric-vehicle transportation solutions since 2025. A pilot program at the Amgen Breda site in the Netherlands has provided data on temperature control, reliability, driving range, charging requirements, and CO2 emissions while transporting non-human-use products.
“By fully utilizing renewable energy produced on-site and maximizing the use of electric transportation, this concept has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 100 metric tons annually,” said Evgeni Ivanov, senior associate, Supply Chain. “It demonstrates that sustainability can exist in harmony with quality, reliability, and patient care.”
Electric vehicles are also being adopted by Amgen sales teams. In 2025, Amgen's commercial fleet included 1,008 electric vehicles and 2,327 hybrid vehicles.
Extending Sustainability Across the Supply Chain
Amgen's sustainability efforts extend beyond its own operations to the suppliers it works with around the world. A significant portion of carbon emissions are generated by the activities required by suppliers across the value chain through purchased goods and services, known as Scope 3 emissions. As part of Amgen's effort to address Scope 3 emissions, the company has committed to engaging with 73% of its suppliers by spend in key categories to support their adoption of science-based sustainability targets by 2027.
Through its Scope 3 supplier engagement program, Amgen works with suppliers to encourage the adoption of science-based targets to improve sustainability performance.
“Over the past several years, the number of suppliers that have established science-based targets has significantly increased. By working collaboratively with our suppliers and embedding sustainability into our procurement practices, we remain on track to achieve our 2027 Scope 3 commitment,” said Kristin Bentsen, senior manager, Supplier Risk & Sustainability Management.
Sustainability, Built into the Work
These efforts span different functions and stages of Amgen's value chain, but they share a common idea: sustainability can be built into the everyday decisions that shape how medicines are developed and delivered.
