Self-Care Sustainability: Healthy Planet, Healthy People
The planet’s changing climate has contributed to the increase of many health issues and chronic diseases. Vulnerable populations such as the elderly, children, and people living in lower income communities are often disproportionately impacted. Access to self-care and developing sustainable packaging solutions are two of the key areas where innovation in consumer health can have a positive impact on sustainability.
Along with Bayer’s goal to be climate neutral by 2030 and net zero by 2050, our Consumer Health Division has committed that 100% of packaging will be recycle-ready or reusable by 2030. Bayer has also committed to enabling sustainable access to everyday health for 100 million people per year in underserved communities around the world by 2030.
Focusing on the Needs of the Environment with an Eye to Access
As we develop new products, we work to prioritize energy efficiency and minimal carbon emissions throughout the product lifecycle. Incorporating sustainability considerations – such as more sustainable packaging - early in the product development process significantly amplifies our potential to achieve this objective.
We also strive to extend our self-care solutions to underserved communities, ensuring that everyone has access to the care they rightfully deserve. Our focus on developing products that address unmet health needs in these communities is integral to our vision of health for all.
For instance, in India, where there are 2,000 patients for every medical doctor - twice the number recommended by the World Health Organization - we have pioneered Rahatpura, India's first self-help conversational AI hotline. This innovative platform bridges the healthcare gap by providing individuals outside the healthcare system with information about the causes of headaches and offering advice on managing and preventing this common health issue in the future.
Cardio Aspirina® sachet with QR code
Our ambition—and challenge—is to innovate science-based solutions at an accessible price point for low-income consumers. For example, our Cardio Aspirina range provides life-saving solutions in Guatemala, where cardio-vascular disease accounts for one-third of all deaths. We have re-engineered the packaging for Cardio Aspirina so it can also be sold in individual sachets, lowering the daily out-of-pocket cost for low-income consumers and supporting its safe usage through a QR code on the package that points consumers to product label information.
Sustainability Meets Convenience
We launched our new Bepanthen range with its bold design that conveys messages of efficacy and skin barrier repair. By listening to the community's needs, we were able to design a bottle that is not only appealing and practical but refillable. In a category where refills aren’t common, our large and stable bottle, with a wide neck, makes refilling easy and convenient. The refill pack uses 80% less packaging by weight, and we have also light-weighted the bottle by a further 9% for our most recent eczema launch.
