Advancing Green Pharmaceuticals: Sustainable Biomanufacturing Practices Across APAC

The pharmaceutical industry is at a critical juncture, urgently needing to transform towards sustainability to reduce its environmental footprint.

- 

Aarthi Janakiraman, Research Director, Advanced SciTech, Everest Group

Sustainable biomanufacturing is a key focus within this context, primarily aiming to produce pharmaceutical products such as drugs, vaccines, and biologics using processes with minimal environmental impact. This includes resource conservation, waste reduction and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction, renewable materials and energy deployment, and greener operations throughout the sourcing, manufacturing, and distribution processes.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), modern health systems contribute around 5 per cent of global carbon emissions. Around half of these emissions originate in manufacturing supply chains, including from the Asian region, considering the high presence of pharmaceutical manufacturers.

A research study in Japan outlined that healthcare activities account for about 5 per cent of national GHG emissions, with pharmaceuticals alone contributing an estimated 11.3 MtCO2-e (27 per cent of healthcare emissions). Besides GHG emissions, pharma manufacturing can also result in air and water pollution through various solvents, effluent discharge, and waste generation. It is well-known that waste generated by antibiotic manufacturing can potentially create environmental hotspots of antimicrobial resistance, a public health concern. APIs (active pharmaceutical ingredients) released in wastewater are also a cause of concern, potentially leading to drug-resistant microbes, directly linking environmental stewardship and drug efficacy.