Novartis : The FY 2021 Novartis environmental indicators (PDF 0.

Environmental performance indicators

Our reporting process

Environmental data is collected and reviewed on a quarterly basis. The 2021 environmental and resource data published in the Novartis in Society Integrated Report are actual data for the period from January through September and best estimates for the period October through December. This data has now been updated with actual data following the criteria set out by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard.

						2019	2020	2021
Energy [million GJ]
Energy consumption (energy used)	12.8	10.9	9.8
Renewable energy generated on site	0.0	0.0	0.0
Purchased renewable energy	2.1	2.8	2.9
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions [thousand tCO2e]
Scope 1, total	484.9	378.3	352.8
Scope 1, combustion and process	356.6	287.0	264.1
Scope 1, owned or leased vehicles	128.4	91.3	88.7
Scope 2, market-based	404.0	335.5	292.7
Total scope 1 and scope 2 (market-based excluding offsets)	888.9	713.8	645.5
Scope 1 and scope 2 from energy consumption (market-based excluding offsets)1	876.1	700.8	632.8
Scope 2, location-based	564.7	487.2	439.4
Scope 3, purchased goods and services	5,867.3	5,754.0	5,958.4
Scope 3, capital goods	317.7	278.7	303.8
Scope 3, fuel and energy related activities	322.8	282.3	255.6
Scope 3, upstream transportation and distribution	308.5	319.9	199.6
Scope 3, waste generated in operations	37.4	27.9	26.4
Scope 3, business travel2	337.1	68.3	35.9
Scope 3, employee commute	148.5	103.5	127.2
Scope 3, downstream transportation and distribution	160.6	145.7	62.5
Scope 3, use of sold products	142.5	169.6	246.7
Scope 3, end-of-life treatment of sold products	134.5	124.5	121.5
Total scope 3 emissions3	7,776.9	7,274.5	7,337.5
Total scope 1, scope 2 and scope 3 emissions	8,665.8	7,988.3	7,983.1
Offsets4	29.8	33.6	-34.7
Emissions intensity
GHG emissions (market-based Scope 1 and Scope 2) tCO2e per million USD sales	18.5	14.4	12.3
GHG emissions (market-based Scope 1 and Scope 2) tCO2e per FTE	8.4	6.6	6.1
SO2, intensity per sales (tCO2e per million USD sales)	0.0	0.0	0.0
NOx, intensity per sales (tCO2e per million USD sales)	0.0	0.0	0.0
Emissions to air (metric tons)
Halogenated Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)	26.6	11.6	0.8
Non-halogenated Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)	406.8	443.0	304.7
Ozone-depleting substances (ODS) emissions caused by losses (metric tons of R11 equivalent)	0.0	0.0	0.0
Sulfur Oxides (SO2)	4.6	4.3	3.1
Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)	236.3	212.0	190.6
Particulates	12.9	11.4	7.7
Water (million m3)
Total water withdrawal from all areas5	66.8	54.7	47.6
Surface water (total)	9.1	7.0	6.5
Groundwater (total)	48.3	41.7	35.3
Third-party water (total)	9.4	5.9	5.7
Water collected from rain (total)	0.0	0.0	0.0
Total water discharged from all areas	66.7	54.5	46.6
Discharged directly to surface water (for cooling)	55.5	46.1	38.9
Total water consumption6	11.2	8.4	7.7
Operational waste7 (thousand metric tons)
Total waste generated	170.6	130.6	103.6
Total non-hazardous waste	70.6	68.7	66.7
Total hazardous waste	100.0	61.9	36.9
Total waste diverted from disposal	116.5	88.5	73.4
% Waste diverted from disposal	68%	68%	71%
Non-hazardous diverted from disposal	57.7	59.9	56.0
Hazardous waste diverted from disposal	58.8	28.7	17.4
% non-hazardous waste diverted from disposal	82%	87%	84%
% hazardous waste diverted from disposal	59%	46%	47%
Total waste directed to disposal	54.1	42.1	30.2
Non-hazardous directed to disposal	12.9	8.8	10.7
Incineration	8.4	5.3	5.7
Landfilling	4.1	3.0	4.7
Other disposal options	0.4	0.5	0.3
Hazardous waste directed to disposal	41.2	33.3	19.5
Incineration	37.2	31.7	18.4
Landfilling	0.4	0.4	0.0
Other disposal options	4.0	1.6	1.1
Amount of significant HSE fines or penalties [USD]	13,727.9	5,291.1	0.0

1. Scope 1 combustion, process, and vehicles; Scope 2: purchased energy
2. 2021 data includes indirect emissions from air travel, train travel, car rentals and hotel stays. The methodology changed in 2021, with previous years' data covering emissions from air travel only. This is part of a calculation effort to expand the Scope 3 category 6 emission activities reported and part of a wider Scope 3 calculation review that aims to increase the coverage to more than 90% of the overall Scope 3. New to 2021, air travel emissions now also cover radiative forcing, which multiplies the indirect emissions by 1.9.
3. Scope 3 emissions are reported in accordance with the GHG Protocol. Only the scope 3 categories which are material and relevant to Novartis are reported.
4. Offsets based on data provided by third parties. The Santo Domingo forest carbon offset project in Argentina is due to reach maturity; as projects near this phase, routine operations involve thinning and harvesting. These operations have therefore released CO2e emissions in 2021.
5. Sum of contact water and non-contact (cooling) water use
6. Water discharged via treatment and water lost
7. Operational waste excludes debris from the demolition or construction of new buildings and any other construction or landscape changes

Last update: October 2022