SUPPLY AND LOGISTICS
three years – and as that portfolio increases, the use of continuous manufacturing becomes more attractive.” Weng says Double Rainbow has successfully implemented its sustainable, fermentation- based manufacturing technology on both a small and tonne-level scale. Still, he says it’s going to take a lot of effort to expand to more complicated compounds or other drug molecules that are currently on the market. “There are existing infrastructures [to adopt sustainable fermentation widely], but the whole industry will need to do a lot of rethinking and reallocation of its resources so we are better prepared for that transition.”
Renewable energy in pharma manufacturing If pharma and biotech companies are to meaningfully curb their carbon emissions over the next few years, moving away from fossil fuels and shifting to greener, renewable energy resources is a necessary step. In 2021, energy and automation giant Schneider Electric – ranked the world’s most sustainable corporation that same year – launched the Energize programme to increase the pharmaceutical industry’s access to renewable energy. Through Energize, drugmakers will be given the opportunity to access and contract for renewable energy throughout their value chain. Ten global pharma companies signed up to promote the initiative and encourage their suppliers to decarbonise with renewables: AstraZeneca, Biogen, GSK, Johnson & Johnson (J&J), MSD, Novartis, When it comes to greener energy at least, the pharma industry at large appears committed to making changes. In addition to collaborating on the Energize programme, many large drug companies have set ambitious carbon reduction targets for themselves. J&J aims to get its electricity solely from
renewable sources by 2025, with goals to achieve carbon neutrality across its own operations by 2030 and net zero emissions across its value chain by 2045. By 2025, MSD plans to be carbon neutral
across its operations, and aims to reduce value chain emissions by 30% before 2030. 2030 and will, among other strategies, reduce direct emissions by 46% and purchase 100%
40 | Clinical Trial Supply Handbook
“One of the most effective ways of reducing the carbon emissions associated with drug production is to adopt continuous manufacturing”
of its electricity from renewable sources. Following a virtual power purchase agreement American operations to be 100% solar- powered by the end of 2023. In Europe, Novartis is working to achieve carbon neutrality across its operations by 2025 and throughout its supply chain by 2030. The Swiss company’s chief sustainability Technology: “Novartis is on track to deliver its 2025 carbon neutrality target for our own operations, with a 34% reduction in CO2 emissions achieved to date, compared to our 2016 baseline. We have developed a detailed framework and robust plan to underpin effective collaboration with suppliers towards delivery of our 2030 carbon neutrality targets.” Multinational Catalent, however, has beaten
many of its fellow pharma players to the punch: in 2021, the company announced that an impressive 97% of its electricity usage had been obtained from renewable sources such as wind, solar, hydroelectric and biomass.
Cold chain shipping: a carbon culprit While drug manufacturing has a large carbon footprint, the steps taken to distribute medicines out of the factory and into patients’ hands also One way in which distribution in pharma
contributes to climate change is the use of cold chain shipping, which allows temperature- sensitive products such as insulin or some vaccines to be transported at controlled temperatures that do not compromise their must be maintained all the way from the point of manufacture to the patient. Refrigerated vehicles require additional
energy to power the cooling systems, known keep products at a controlled temperature. According to low-emission transport and
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