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Sustainability columnist Joe Newcombe reflects on the modern challenge which is igniting change across our industry

Pharma is highly experienced in tackling complex problems for the benefit of society. Already possessing the necessary culture of innovation, technical expertise and financial resources, the sector is well placed to become a global leader in sustainability.

Nevertheless, the industry currently remains highly carbon intensive. A 2021 report from My Green Lab and Urgentem found that global emissions of the biotech and pharma industry equates to around 50% of the carbon output of the UK.

It found that while big pharma is making solid progress towards a zero-carbon future, if the lens is broadened, the top 65 companies instead show an opposite trend. Net increases in emissions are partly attributable to industry growth but that growth seems to be a shade of off-green.

Industrial emissions can be divided into three main areas: Scope 1 – emissions from owned and controlled sources; scope 2 – emissions from purchased energy, and scope 3 – all other indirect emissions in a company’s value-chain.

Biotech and pharma rank in the top half of scope 1 and 2 emitters, globally. There is certainly, however, an opportunity to reduce these emissions. Meanwhile, scope 3 is by far the biggest factor in a company’s footprint. Indeed, for biotech and pharma, scope 3 is around 5 times larger than scope 1 and 2 combined.

Increasingly outsourced R&D and manufacturing means that indirect emissions are on track to dominate the carbon impact of the sector even more. Added to this, scope 3 emissions are tough to tackle since, by definition, they are outside of a company’s direct control and typically are spread across a company’s entire supply chain.

James Connelly, CEO of My Green Lab, explained: “Right now, there is a lack of awareness of the environmental impact of research, and even when there is awareness, people don’t know where to start.”

For biotech and pharma, around 77% of scope 3 emissions arise from purchased goods and the use of sold products. These areas should thus become focal points for effecting change. Nevertheless, the impact of any change is difficult to quantify without appropriate contextual frameworks.

According to James, “Standardisation is necessary across the industry so that when a company claims it has done something to address its footprint you know those claims are meaningful and verified.”

My Green Lab Certification and the ACT Label are examples of the kind of industry-wide frameworks required to turn commitments into measurable outcomes. Certification can also help to foster a positive culture of sustainability and reduce downstream impact.

James adds, “The reason why My Green Lab’s programmes are so powerful is that they provide education paired with actionable pathways for change in the lab.”

In recognition of this, the UNFCCC High-Level Climate Champions’ 2030 Breakthroughs campaign aims to ensure that 95% of labs across major pharma and med-tech companies are My Green Lab certified to the green level by 2030.

The My Green Lab Certification programme has already engaged over 900 laboratories worldwide, including many within biotech and pharma. Evidently, this burgeoning field of green certification is gaining traction.