CSL Limited Annual Report 2021/22 47 Waste and packaging CSL’s objective is to reduce the amount of waste that is generated throughout the production and use of all products; to reuse and recycle waste as far as possible; and to dispose of the residual waste responsibly. The amount of waste produced and how it is handled varies between CSL’s different facilities according to production processes and available disposal options. A large part of the waste stream is made up of glass, plastics, cardboard, wooden pallets and other types of packaging, which is necessary for ensuring product safety of pharmaceuticals. Disposal of packaging presents particular challenges for pharmaceutical companies because packaging such as single-use plastics, glass syringes and vials are not recyclable and must be disposed of in a safe manner. CSL’s operations in Europe dispose of almost all waste by recycling or incineration. In Australia, CSL is a signatory to the Australian Packaging Covenant and reports regularly on plans and progress to minimise waste. There is also a wide variety of waste recycling programs at our US facilities. However more can be done to reduce waste to landfill across our Australian and US operations and this remains a focus area for CSL in the near-term. Over the past year CSL has actively sought ways to reduce paper and cardboard packaging usage and waste, including the following examples: • The replacement of patient information leaflets from the product pack with an electronic leaflet has been initiated for the Japanese market; • At our Marburg, Germany, site, the implementation of digitally printed packaging for smaller markets, has helped to reduced over-ordering and packaging material write-offs; and • New generation labels that use 30% less material were utilised to launch an albumin-based product in China. CSL Plasma innovation drives sustainability With US regulatory clearance of the Rika Plasma Donation System, Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies and CSL Plasma continue working together to deliver this new plasma collection platform at CSL Plasma US collection centres. With this implementation, we expect to see reduced environmental impacts; strengthen our commitments and reputation with donors, patients and communities; and raise awareness and involvement toward sustainable practices. We expect the following to occur at a high level, to minimise end-to-end production of waste through removal, reduction and recycling. • There will be less biohazard waste as the disposables used on the Rika device have a smaller footprint. Initial data analysis indicates a Rikagenerated plasma donation reduces biowaste by 68g (0.15lb) per donation. • We will see less cardboard waste as less packaging material is required for the Rika separation set, which are components involved to separate blood cells from plasma. • Terumo will be providing a digital interface and we will be moving to more paperless processes. With millions of plasma donations collected each year and a growing footprint of operations, these represent a significant reduction of biowaste. Further analysis will be undertaken as we begin rollout of devices across the CSL Plasma centre network in the US. Optimised ethanol recycling CSL’s Bern, Switzerland, site utilises ethanol in production steps and for cleaning and disinfecting equipment, work tools and rooms. Post use, ethanol is purified by distillation and reused. This reprocessing requires five times less energy than industrial ethanol production and the proportion of internally recycled ethanol is 77%, reducing the amount of ethanol purchased and transported to CSL Behring. In 2021, a distillation plant was optimised with the aim of processing the same amount of ethanol with less steam and thus saving natural gas. This was achieved by lowering the differential pressure. In addition, the heat exchanger for feed preheating was replaced. This allows more energy to be recovered from the plant’s hot wastewater. With this optimisation, the system requires 2’448’980 kWh less energy in the form of natural gas per year (equivalent to brewing over 171 million cups of coffee).
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