OptumRx, UnitedHealthcare's mail service pharmacy, will implement fully sustainable medication packaging.
The mail service pharmacy plans to eliminate polystyrene, or foam, to ensure all packaging used for home delivery is recyclable.
The new packaging will be made from 100 percent renewable cotton and is biodegradable. In addition, the sustainable packaging meets the criteria for temperature-sensitivity.
"Our priority is ensuring people get the high-quality medications they need, when they need them," said Jon Mahrt, COO of OptumRx. "Our new packaging ensures each shipment maintains the highest standard of quality and effectiveness, while reducing the environmental footprint of our medication home delivery services."
With the switch to sustainable packaging, OptumRx expects to save nearly 2 million pounds of carbon dioxide, 17 million gallons of water and 4 million kilowatt hours of energy.