GlaxoSmithKline Launches New Program to Help Consumers Recycle Empty GSK Respiratory Inhalers

GlaxoSmithKline plc [LSE/NYSE: GSK] has introduced a new program to help consumers recycle their empty GSK respiratory inhalers and keep waste out of landfills.  The “Complete the Cycle™ Recycle Program for GSK Respiratory Inhalers is the first of its kind in the pharmaceutical industry and is being offered to community-based retail pharmacies in 31 U.S. markets to make available to their customers.  Currently, inhalers may not be recycled by curb-side recyclers, and therefore are likely to go to landfills.

The markets where the program is being offered are Anchorage, AK; Ann Arbor, MI; Atlanta, GA; Austin, TX;  Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Columbus, OH; Dallas/Fort Worth, TX; Denver, CO; Eugene, OR; Grand Rapids, MI; Huntsville, AL; Jacksonville, FL; Kansas City, MO;
Lexington, KY; Los Angeles, CA; Louisville, KY; Milwaukee, WI; Minneapolis, MN; New York, NY;  Oakland CA;  St. Paul, MN; Philadelphia, PA; Portland, OR;
Raleigh-Durham, NC; Richmond, VA; Salt Lake City UT;  San Francisco, CA; Seattle, WA; St Louis, MO;  Syracuse, NY.

Pharmacy enrollment in the program is ongoing and consumers can view a regularly updated list of participating pharmacies on www.GSKCompleteTheCycle.com.

“The Complete the Cycle^TM recycling program provides an in-store location for people to drop off empty GSK respiratory inhalers for shipment to a specialized recycler,” said Jorge Bartolome, Senior Vice President of GSK’s respiratory business area. “GSK piloted the program earlier in five markets and collected nearly 2,700 inhalers. By expanding to 31 U.S. markets, we hope to recycle more than 100,000 empty GSK inhalers.”

Program Details

Participating pharmacies will have a Complete the Cycle™
collection container where customers can deposit empty inhalers as they pick up new prescriptions. Once the boxes are full, pharmacies send the inhalers directly to a specialized recycler where the inhalers will be recycled. The plastics will be recycled and used to make  a variety of
household products such as plastic hangers, plastic flower pots and car parts for the automotive industry.

The Complete the Cycle ^TM program is being administered for GSK by TerraCycle, the world’s leader in the collection and reuse of non-recyclable post-consumer waste. TerraCycle is managing the recruitment of pharmacies and the roll-out of program materials to the participating stores.

GSK Environmental Sustainability

The Complete the Cycle™ recycling program is designed to reduce the environmental impact of GSK inhalers sent to landfills.  It is one of several efforts GSK has in place
that focus on environmental sustainability. GSK’s broader sustainability initiatives can be found in the company’s 2011 Corporate Responsibility Report.

The GSK program aligns with other efforts offered by many pharmacies to collect and recycle items, such as empty drink containers, plastic bags or pill bottles, and was designed in response to the growing U.S. interest in environmental sustainability.  Studies have shown that
recycling and sustainability are increasingly important to American consumers.  As an example, a  2011 study from SC Johnson and GfK Roper showed increasing interest in recycling, with 58 percent of American respondents
reporting that they recycle on a regular basis.[i]

GSK is committed to providing medicines that make a difference while protecting natural resources.  The company aims to minimize environmental impact across the value chain and lifecycle of its products by setting ambitious goals to reduce its carbon footprint, water footprint and waste.  Among the long-term goals, GSK aims to be carbon neutral by 2050, with this ambition extending across the company’s operations,
suppliers and customers.

For more information on the Complete the Cycle™ Recycle Program for GSK Respiratory Inhalers, call the GlaxoSmithKline Customer Response Center at 1-888-825-5249, Monday-Friday between the hours of 8am-6pm ET or visit www.GSKCompleteTheCycle.com.

GlaxoSmithKline – one of the world’s leading
research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies – is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer.  For further information go to us.gsk.com, follow us on twitter.com/GSKUS or visit our blog (www.morethanmedicine.us.gsk.com/blog/).

TerraCycle – TerraCycle, Inc. is an international upcycling and recycling company that takes difficult-to recycle-packaging and turns it into affordable, innovative products.  Founded in 2001, TerraCycle is the world’s leader in the collection and reuse of non-recyclable post-consumer waste. TerraCycle works with more than 40 major brands in the U.S. and around the world to
collect used packaging and products that would otherwise be destined for landfills. It repurposes that waste into new, innovative materials and products that are available online and through major retailers. The waste is collected
through TerraCycle’s Brigade programs, which are free fundraisers that pay for every piece of waste collected and returned. For information on how to join a TerraCycle Brigade and on purchasing TerraCycle products please visit www.terracycle.com.

[i] ¹SC
Johnson and GfK Roper:  The Environment:
Public Attitudes and Individual Behavior – a Twenty Year Evolution. 2011