Milan, 31st March 2025
How much impact does the production of antibiotics have on the environment? The answer is in a study conducted by Ollum, an Italian company specialised in environmental consultancy, which analysed the life cycle of a pharmaceutical active ingredient through a LCA (Life Cycle Assessment). The analysis revealed a surprising figure: for every kilogram of antibiotics produced, up to 1300 kg of CO2 equivalent is emitted. This is one of the highest environmental impacts recorded for an industrial product.
Ollum’s research
A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study has been conducted by Ollum, an Italian environmental consultancy. The company specialises in the assessment of the impact of products over their entire life cycle and their processes and analysed the environmental footprint of antibiotics. The analysis covered all stages of production up to the factory gate (“cradle-to-gate“), including raw material extraction, synthesis, formulation and packaging, but excluding the distribution, use and disposal phases.
The result is surprising: producing 1 kg of antibiotics can generate up to 1300 kg of CO2 equivalent, which is 17 times higher than the emissions associated with the production and the entire life cycle of an iPhone 15.
“We did not expect such a high result – comments Saverio Lapini, CEO of Ollum – among all the products that we analysed with LCA methodology, this was undoubtedly the most impactful. It really took us by surprise and confirms how important it is to bring attention in the pharmaceutical sector regarding the sustainability debate.”
How much is 1300 kg of CO2?
Making 1300 kg of CO2 equivalent tangible is not easy. To give you a visual idea, it’s the average weight of an adult white rhino. But the impact is not only a matter of mass. To understand the true weight of this figure, one kilogram of antibiotics can generate emissions comparable to an intercontinental flight back and forth between Rome and New York, with an additional route to London.
This is the same amount of CO2 that would be obtained by travelling 10,000 kilometres with a petrol-powered car, or even equivalent to the average electricity consumption of an Italian family for about one and a half years.
The pharmaceutical sector: between greenwashing and regulatory gaps
Despite its significant environmental footprint, the pharmaceutical sector is currently not bound by environmental regulations.
In 2019, the European Commission published the Strategic Approach to Pharmaceuticals in the Environment, identifying six areas of voluntary action. One year later, the European Parliament called for drugs to be included among the priority substances of the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC). However, these intentions have not yet turned into concrete obligations, leaving room for self-regulation by companies.
“Measuring impact is the first step to reducing it” – comments Saverio Lapini, CEO of Ollum – “but it is necessary to go further: optimizing production processes, innovating technologies and promoting environmental responsibility are essential challenges for the future of the pharmaceutical industry.”
The future: measuring, innovating, transforming
In the context of an urgent ecological transition, tools such as LCA are becoming increasingly strategic for companies that want to anticipate future regulatory obligations and demonstrate a concrete commitment to sustainability.
This is not only about ethical responsibility. Considering the high environmental impact of the sector, moving towards more sustainable production practices is also a competitive choice. When consumers – increasingly aware of the environmental footprint of products – become aware of the enormous impact of medicines, they will actively seek more sustainable alternatives, rewarding companies that have been able to act in time.
