ANDREW SMITH
Team Leader Value Added Services, Brenntag Pharma EMEA, United Kingdom

Abstract

Working with distributors may not be the traditional sourcing route for pharmaceutical manufacturers but by working with those suppliers who have a commitment to compliance and transparency as well as an appetite for collaboration and innovation the pharma industry can leverage the portfolio and global reach of a chemical distributor to meet sustainability goals while protecting supply chain security.

It is often cited that the pharmaceutical industry is more emissions intensive than the automotive industry (1) and that global healthcare contributes to around 10% of all global carbon dioxide emissions (2,3). These are startling headlines indeed and they highlight the work that still needs to be done to reduce overall emissions and the contribution from the sector.
The establishment of industry groups such as the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Initiative (PSCI) in 2006(4) has served to co-ordinate and articulate the needs of the industry to its suppliers. The activate program of ‘manufacture2030’ specifically focuses on the decarbonization of pharmaceutical API manufacturing through collaborative development of product carbon footprints (PCF)(5) and ‘Together for Sustainability’ has launched the PCF guideline for chemical manufacturers and suppliers, facilitating the development of accurate Scope 3 PCFs which can be shared with pharmaceutical manufacturers through the chemical supply chain(6).
External stakeholders are driving improvements as well. Legislation such as the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) serves to promote the flow of capit ...