Robert Long Consultancy Limited drew together the best practices from around the world, so that SmithKline Beecham’s operations could learn from each other and from industry as a whole. The Manual had to be applicable to developed countries where environmental standards are high and the waste management infrastructure is well developed, but also to those in developing countries where very little of this is in place.

The Manual provides technical requirements for everything from containers to disposal facilities and explains why the SmithKline Beecham standards need to be met. It explains why some technologies are not favoured and why they should not be used.

The Manual was developed over a nine month period and has been circulated to all SmithKline Beecham’s operational facilities throughout the world. The loose-leaf hard copy and SmithKline Beecham intranet formats allow the Manual to incorporate regular updates as technologies move on and as further case studies are gathered from around the globe.