How our medication packaging helps the planet

In 2018, Optum® became the first major pharmacy care services company to introduce fully sustainable, cold-chain medication packaging. Since then, it’s protected millions of Optum® prescriptions each year.

Our packaging does not use polystyrene, a plastic-based foam often used for temperature-sensitive deliveries. Instead, the innovative packaging is made from 100-percent renewable cotton. It is biodegradable, compostable, reusable and recyclable. This helps lower the environmental effect in several ways.

One key advantage is that eliminating the use of polystyrene foam saves massive amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. These savings come in both the production and transportation of the packaging.

Because of their unique formulation, Enviro Ice™ packs allow convenient, drain-safe disposal that won’t harm PVC pipes or septic systems. They’re also the only cold pack that can be recycled as plant food. When thawed and diluted with water, the Enviro Ice coolant mixture is a safe, suitable fertilizer for both indoor and outdoor plants.

The switch to sustainable packaging saves more than CO2. It also saves massive amounts of water, energy and plastic waste. In total, since 2018 our sustainable packaging has saved²:

• 190 million gallons of water: That’s enough to fill 288 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
• 24 million kWh of energy: That’s enough to power 2,224 homes for a year.
• 30 million pounds of plastic waste: That’s equal to 2,000 adult African elephants.

Safeguarding medications during home delivery is vital. Many must be kept within strict temperature ranges to arrive safely and undamaged at their destinations. Our packaging is designed to maintain a constant temperature to make sure the quality of the medicine stays intact.

Biodegradable, 100% recyclable materials keep medication at correct temperatures up to 80 hours in most climates.³ This switch to sustainable packaging is part of broader efforts to lessen the environmental effects of healthcare

15.1M pounds production reduction since 2018
7.6M pounds transportation reduction since 2018