Renewable energy

The research, development and manufacture of medicines is energy intensive. That’s why we are committed to expanding access to clean sources of heat and power as part of our Ambition Zero Carbon strategy, as well as supporting decarbonisation across the healthcare value chain.

Our approach to renewable energy

Guided by our science-based decarbonisation strategy, we are accelerating action to procure renewable energy and encouraging our suppliers to do the same. Using the Climate Group’s RE100 criteria, we've developed a scoring system to evaluate energy sourcing, ensuring quality and positive impact through our purchases, including:

• Investing in new to grid or on-site renewable energy capacity
• Energy purchase agreements in the grids where we consume energy
• Aligning our energy attribute certificates (EACs) with the time when we consume energy

In 2024, we became founding partners of the Climate Group's 24/7 Carbon-Free Electricity (CFE) Coalition initiative to help accelerate action on matching electricity demand with carbon-free generation where and when consumption occurs. Adopting 24/7 CFE sends a clear demand signal about where more carbon-free electricity is needed.

Clean power

Across our strategic sites in Sweden, the UK and the US, we aim to meet most of our electricity needs through new renewable power purchase agreements (PPAs).

In Sweden, we have a 10-year PPA with energy provider Statkraft, sourcing 200 GWh annually from three new wind farms, covering 80% of demand at our Gothenburg and Södertälje sites.

Alongside PPA's we're investing in on-site photovoltaic (PV) installations. By the end of 2025, we had completed solar installations at 20 sites, generating energy equivalent to 3% of our total power consumption.

Clean heat

We are also pioneering clean heat solutions for our US, UK, China, and Irish operations. We’re taking new approaches to sourcing and using biomethane, as well as contributing to the circular economy. In addition, we are focusing on adding new-to-grid renewable capacity to support progress towards net zero.

In the US, we collaborate with Vanguard Renewables to produce renewable natural gas (RNG) from food and farm waste to power our US sites. In 2025, the partnership with delivered approximately 33 GWh of RNG to our sites, and will continue to ramp up supply to support our US operations. Our approach means that methane that would be emitted into the atmosphere is used to support the production of innovative medicines.

In the UK, our 15-year agreement with Future Biogas brought the first unsubsidised biomethane plant online in 2025, which aims to supply clean heat to all of our UK R&D and manufacturing sites. This plant adds renewable energy capacity to the UK's infrastructure and produced 69.4 GWh by end of 2025. A carbon capture facility produces biogenic carbon dioxide. Clean heat also enabled a first for Macclesfield, our second-largest manufacturing site globally, which achieved 100% renewable energy use for heat and power in 2025.

In China, we are sourcing clean heat for our Wuxi manufacturing site through a collaboration with China Resources Gas and Everbright Environment. Anaerobic digestion of household waste at a municipal waste plant supplies our facility with approximately 36 GWh of biomethane and biomethane-based steam.

In Ireland, we aim to use biomethane for our Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease Dublin and Athlone sites. A new Carbon AMS facility in Duleek will add renewable capacity to Ireland’s national gas grid to support the sustainable manufacture of medicines.

Accelerating the transition to net zero healthcare

Sustainable Markets Initiative Health Systems Task Force

Through the Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI) Health Systems Task Force chaired by our CEO Pascal Soriot, we collaborate with global health leaders from the private and public sectors to accelerate the transition to net zero health systems.

We are focused on decarbonising supply chains and patient care pathways, as well as leveraging digital innovation to decarbonise clinical research.

In 2025, together with sector peers, we announced an expanded industry-first renewable PPA in China to enable companies and suppliers to access renewable power in China and decarbonise pharmaceutical value chains.

Energize

We are also a founding member of the Energize programme, which supports suppliers in purchasing renewable energy at scale. This first-of-its-kind collaboration leverages collective buying power to help suppliers switch to renewable energy at competitive costs, enabling them to cut their Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and in turn for us to reduce our Scope 3 GHG emissions.