Taking our chances

The impact of climate change on global health is already clear to see, with WHO naming it as the biggest threat to health facing communities today. Without change, the risk is only set to increase.

It’s estimated every year between 2030 and 2050 climate change will cause an additional 250,000 deaths. This startling fact highlights how closely linked the health of the planet and the health of people are.

The pharmaceutical industry finds itself at the centre of the issue, both contributing to the climate crisis and offering part of the solution by minimising its effects on our health.

Despite being 28% smaller than the automotive industry, the pharma industry is more carbon-intensive with 13% higher emissions. Over half of these come from the supply chain.

Based on these facts and the threat climate change poses to population health around the world, the pharmaceutical industry has a unique responsibility to take swift and positive action, including decarbonising its supply chain and creating climate-resilient health systems.

This is a priority focus of the Health Systems Taskforce (HST), a public-private partnership originally formed at COP26.

A whole life cycle approach can apply to any product or service. It considers the impact across time, from when the product is produced and first launched into the market up until its end of life.

Product life cycle anagement (PLM) isn’t a new approach. It’s commonly used to help companies from a competition and commercial perspective, allowing them to understand their product or service’s position within the market in comparison to competitors.

But PLM has applications beyond boosting the bottom line – it offers the ability to track every detail throughout the life cycle, which can be hugely valuable from a sustainability perspective.

To reach the point of consumption and then disposal, a medicine has gone through many processes – many of which are carbon intensive.

The development and manufacturing stage is perhaps the most energy-intensive, particularly the output needed to create a small amount of active pharmaceutical ingredients.

There is a growing list of solutions available, however, to help reduce energy-related emissions in the manufacturing process. These include on-site rainwater harvesting systems, anaerobic digestion plants to treat hybrid waste, energy-efficient and motion sensor lighting, and solar panels to power facilities using renewable energy.

Robotics are also increasingly being used to maximise production yields and accuracy with reduced output.

Waste prevention techniques during the packaging design process also reduce pharma’s environmental footprint. These include using 3D visualisation and printing technologies to test products’ efficiency to the highest standards while limiting the amount of waste materials from flawed attempts.

During this stage, designers can integrate safety features while limiting the use of multiple packaging materials that cannot be recycled. For example, printing product information directly onto the secondary packaging can reduce labelling materials while QR codes can allow patients to access their private information and specific dosage requirements without the need for excessive labelling.

More sustainable materials are also being rolled out commercially, with plant-based plastics becoming more commonly used.

Astellas Pharma made waves switching to sugar cane-derived blister packaging in 2021 – a world first for biomass-based plastic for blister packages. Plant-based materials made up 50% of the raw materials used while still providing the same protection, function and usability.

The move to biomass-based materials is expected to become more widespread in the coming years as technologies evolve and consumer demand for sustainable alternatives grows.

Another phase of the life cycle where sustainability gains can be achieved is distribution, especially for temperature-sensitive products like insulin and some vaccines that rely on the energy-intensive cold chain.

The use of cleaner fuels and transport types, such as rail, road and sea freight instead of air, can greatly reduce the climate impact of shipping medicines around the world.

For example, hydrotreated vegetable oil – a renewable, bio-based fuel that can be used in diesel engines – can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90 percent compared with diesel. Other alternative fuels include: compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and their renewable counterparts – biomethane and bio-LPG.

Reshoring manufacturing to local sites can also cut carbon footprints and boost resilience against black swan events like the COVID-19 pandemic that disrupted global supply chains. This approach optimises the amount of time a product needs to be maintained within a storage environment or shipped using different transportation solutions.

Pharma companies must consider the environmental impact of a medicine once it has been used and discarded.

Primary packaging often ends up in landfill or incinerated due to the types of materials being used and their combinations. More progress is needed to not only create new recycling methods but to upcycle and repurpose waste packaging materials.

The responsibility lies with both industry and consumers here. To be a success, end users need to be educated and receive clear instructions to maximise compliance.

If materials cannot be recycled and repurposed, manufacturers must invent ways to repurpose the discarded materials. A good example is Novo Nordisk’s programme for reusing its insulin pens. It now sorts the pens into many component parts and, in partnership with a Danish design company, makes office chairs and lamps using the waste materials.

Like many industries, pharma is striving to use and act on big data to solve inefficiencies and meet its sustainability goals.

In the past, digitalisation has been slow to progress due to inflexible and outdated IT infrastructure. And until now, supply chains have been pharma’s Achilles heel.

But the advent of new tech is closing the gap between the digital and physical, allowing for a 365-degree view of business operations and supply chains.  Advancements in big data technologies, machine learning and artificial intelligence are propelling digital strategies forward, unlocking greater sustainability gains.

Automation and real-time data, combined with AI capabilities, allow pharma firms to collect, analyse and act on data insights before an issue occurs. It can also minimise human error, provide end-to-end visibility and protect the integrity of supply chains.

AI has the promise to transform how pharma companies operate. Full digitalisation will, however, take time. It’s not a silver bullet either. The workforce will need to further diversify to ensure the industry has the skill sets and knowledge that matches the technology at its disposal.

To fill the gap and progress faster, many companies are leaning on external experts for their AI knowledge. Ultimately, talent pipelines must become more agile, digitally literate and open to continuous learning in order to maximise the opportunities these new technologies present.