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12 Pharmaceutical Technology
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Bio/Pharma Outsourcing Innovation 2025 PharmTech.com
T
he manufacture of pharmaceuticals involves
active chemicals and other materials that may
impact the environment. The latter half of the
20th century saw a surge in a movement to re-
duce climate change that continued into the 2000s. In
2015, the Paris Agreement put forth principles to keep
global warming under 2
o
C by 2050 (1). In 2019, the
European Union introduced the European Green deal
that committed Europe to become climate neutral by
2050 (1). In 2014, according to IQVIA, the healthcare
industry contributed to 4.4% of the world's carbon
footprint (1). In response to these and other initiatives,
the pharmaceutical industry has been working toward
more sustainable manufacturing practices.
The push toward sustainability in pharmaceutical
manufacturing also is seen in the increased require-
ments put on contract development and manufactur-
ing organizations (CDMOs) by sponsor companies to
follow sustainability practices, as contract organiza-
tions play a significant role in the development and
manufacture of drugs.
"As significant third-party suppliers, CDMOs play
a major contributing role in their sponsors' overall
emissions," says Niall Harkin, executive director of
Almac Group. "These requirements are a factor in
negotiating partnerships as sponsors increasingly
request evidence of sustainable or green manufac-
turing, and documenting these is now the norm on
any new RFPs [request for proposals]."
"When we're negotiating and contracting with our
partners, they're wanting to work with companies
who do have ESG [environmental, social, and gov-
ernance] sustainability policies in place," says Andy
Burns, vice president, MDI (Metered Dosed Inhaler)
Busi ness Development at K i ndeva. Pha r ma com-
panies that are more established have entrenched
Working Together to
Improve the Environment
Susan Haigney
Contractors are working with sponsor companies to
establish and maintain sustainable manufacturing practices in pharma.
