The growing urgency of the climate crisis has placed increased pressure on healthcare systems to adopt more environmentally sustainable practices. Healthcare contributes approximately 4.4% of global net greenhouse gas emissions, with medicines and medical products forming a significant proportion of that footprint. Community pharmacies have the potential to play an important role in reducing the environmental impact of healthcare delivery, including through medicines optimisation, waste reduction and more sustainable service delivery. These efforts align with wider international ambitions to develop low-carbon, environmentally responsible healthcare systems.

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), which regulates pharmacy professionals and premises in Great Britain, recognises the role regulation can play in supporting this transition. Our Net Zero Strategy and Action Plan sets out how we will reduce our own organisational environmental impact while also embedding sustainability across our regulatory work.

Alongside this internal work, we are also considering how sustainability can be incorporated across our regulatory levers. Through our standards, education and training requirements, inspections, and engagement with the sector, we aim to support the integration of sustainable practices within pharmacy. 

As part of implementing the strategy, we have undertaken a thematic review of sustainable practice in community pharmacy. This platform provides an opportunity to share our progress and highlight emerging insights and findings from the review, including examples of how pharmacy teams are already contributing to more sustainable healthcare delivery.