Sustainable manufacturing is an ethical responsibility, economic imperative, and innovation driver for biopharma, says U.K. trade group, Bioindustry Association (BIA).
Biopharmaceutical manufacturing has a big environmental impact. Drug production generates 4–5% of global CO2 emissions. And, although the small molecules sector is the biggest contributor, the volume generated by the large molecule therapeutics and biologics sectors is significant and increasing.
Biopharma recognizes the need to reduce emissions and is taking steps, says Alina O’Keeffe, associate communications director at BIA, who tells GEN, “Environmental stewardship should be embedded within all industries and individuals.
“We have an ethical responsibility to embed sustainability into the medicines manufacturing supply chain. In addition, external stakeholders—investors, regulators, and healthcare buyers—are now expecting the industry to become more sustainable,” she adds.
External pressure is not the only driver of sustainability efforts, according to O’Keeffe, who says biopharma can achieve savings by minimizing emissions in line with global carbon reduction initiatives.
“Sustainability and economic efficiency are well aligned. From a manufacturing perspective, there are often direct economic benefits. For example, by improving a manufacturing site’s Scope 1 and 2 emissions, not only does this deliver a reduced carbon footprint, but it also leads to financial savings through lower energy consumption.
“Manufacturers are working to deliver energy efficiencies to address Scope 1 and 2 emissions at their sites. This is happening across the industry, with increasing collaboration between companies to share initiatives and drive the industry in the right direction,” she adds.
“There is also growing attention on tackling Scope 3 emissions through collaborations between suppliers and manufacturers and through sustainable procurement initiatives. Furthermore, new standards such as the British Standards Institute’s PAS 2090: Sustainability for Medicines Manufacture have been developed and are being adopted across the industry,” O’Keeffe says.
The current vogue for process intensification—producing more product in less time—is also helping to make manufacturing more sustainable, O’Keeffe says, pointing out that intensification typically provides both cost and environmental benefits.
State-level programs are another driver. O’Keeffe cites a recent commitment by the National Health Service (NHS), the U.K.’s publicly-funded healthcare system, as an example.
“The NHS’s ambition to become net zero will require its suppliers to report on product carbon footprints and have carbon reduction plans in place,” she says. “The U.K. recognizes that funding for sustainability projects is a key priority. The Life Science Sector Plan highlights the Sustainable Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Program, funded through the VPAG Investment Program and managed by Innovate UK, is an example of government investment in collaborative efforts to drive sustainable medicines manufacturing.”
Advances in bioprocessing technologies are also helping biopharma to make manufacturing more sustainable—with single-use systems being the obvious example.
O’Keeffe says, “In biopharma, single-use technologies (SUTs) are increasingly recognized not only for their operational benefits, such as reproducibility, time efficiency, and safety, but also for their potential to reduce environmental impact. Their implementation supports progress toward resource optimization, particularly in water, energy, emissions, and footprint reduction.
“The sector continues to work on improving the sustainability of SUTs through initiatives such as using materials with lower environmental impact and enhancing circularity — for instance, through end-of-life recycling programs,” she says.