Enhancing Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Sustainability: Green Manufacturing and Environmental Stewardship

The Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry study reports that about 461 of 1052 sampling sites on rivers across 104 countries have high concentrations of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients, posing a severe environmental threat.  

Therefore, it is high time that pharmaceutical companies integrate green manufacturing technologies to reduce their environmental impact. Consequently, pharmaceutical manufacturing sustainability (or lack thereof) is attracting increasing attention from researchers, activists, and the general public alike. This article highlights the importance of green manufacturing, the key initiatives for environmental stewardship, and the challenges pharmaceutical companies might face when integrating green and sustainable manufacturing technologies. Keep reading to learn more. 

What is the role of green manufacturing technologies?

Green manufacturing technologies are processes, methods, practices, and equipment that help pharmaceutical companies reduce their environmental impact. These include manufacturing processes that emit lower volumes of greenhouse gases, produce no by-products, or do not create unrecyclable products. Green manufacturing technologies improve pharmaceutical manufacturing sustainability and reduce environmental impact in some of the following ways.

1. Carbon footprint reduction

Green manufacturing technologies reduce the overall amounts of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and other carbon emissions during manufacturing. This can be achieved by using the produced gases in different processes or replacing the processes that create these gases.

2. Hazardous chemical reduction

Green manufacturing technologies use non-hazardous chemicals instead of hazardous chemicals to achieve the same product. Consequently, fewer by-products are manufactured, and the disposal of these by-products is relatively easy. Furthermore, pharmaceutical companies do not need to install complex treatment processes to treat their wastewater, gas emissions, etc., which no longer have hazardous chemicals.

3. Lower wastage

Green manufacturing technologies ensure they do not waste water, power, and other resources. Consequently, adopting these allows companies to reduce their water intake and power requirement, improving efficiency and reducing costs.

Critical environmental stewardship practices and initiatives

Green manufacturing technologies also help improve the company’s overall brand image and perception. Consequently, pharmaceutical companies must integrate some key ecological stewardship initiatives to reduce their environmental impact.

Here are some essential practices and initiatives for pharmaceutical manufacturing sustainability:

1. Energy efficiency

Pharmaceutical manufacturing operations depend considerably on energy usage, including electricity, heat, and fuel usage, all used to boil, burn, heat, etc., materials. For pharmaceutical manufacturing sustainability, companies should use high-efficiency processes and equipment. For example, boilers, heaters, and furnaces with the lowest energy loss should be selected. Glenmark has integrated digitised HVAC systems and eliminated FO's pre-heating requirements to increase energy efficiency.

2. Water conservation

Pharmaceutical manufacturing consumes high quantities of water. Pharmaceutical companies can integrate rainwater-harvesting technologies instead of depending on local rivers, lakes, and ponds. This allows water conservation and ensures the aquatic environment remains unharmed. For example, Glenmark has integrated rainwater harvesting systems in six manufacturing facilities in India.

3. Waste management

As mentioned in the first line, global water bodies are rich in pharmaceutical ingredients because pharmaceutical companies often dump poorly treated waste in water bodies, garbage disposal areas, etc. Instead, companies can integrate better waste management systems. For example, water purification systems can purify and reuse wastewater, greenhouse emissions can be used in other processes, and biological materials can be used to create fertilisers.

4. Biofuels

Pharmaceutical companies should also consider the integration of biofuels and other renewable energy sources. Non-renewable energy sources are rapidly dwindling and emitting large amounts of toxic gases. However, integrating renewable energy sources can ensure facilities reduce emissions due to fuel usage. Some pharmaceutical companies have already integrated some facilities' renewable energy sources and biofuels. For example, Glenmark uses biodiesel in two manufacturing facilities and a mixture of HSD and petroleum gas in the remaining facilities.

5. Sustainable packaging

Medical products are often packaged using non-biodegradable plastic, increasing the industry’s carbon footprint. Instead, pharmaceutical companies can develop non-reactive biodegradable packaging materials for their products. For example, PLA, developed by HEIS Global, is a biodegradable packaging material for pharmaceutical products. Manufactured from sugarcane, PLA degrades entirely within six months!

Challenges for pharmaceutical manufacturing sustainability

Integrating the five environmental stewardship initiatives can considerably and positively impact pharmaceutical manufacturing sustainability. However, the integration of these initiatives is hindered by some challenges, as discussed in this section: 

1. Cost

The primary barrier to the adoption of these technologies is cost. Green processes and technologies are expensive. Integrating green manufacturing technologies requires a sizeable budget for pharmaceutical companies with several manufacturing plants. Incorporating these technologies, their maintenance, and teaching their use to employees are time-consuming and expensive.

2. Regulatory compliance

Because the pharmaceutical industry is heavily regulated, companies must ensure their integrated technologies meet the regulatory guidelines. They can only directly integrate wastewater treatment plants, rainwater harvesting systems, etc., ensuring they comply with guidelines. This approval process is time-consuming.

3. Technical barriers

Integrating new green manufacturing technologies into existing facilities can pose technical challenges such as incompatibility. Designers, experts, or consultants may need to be hired to solve these challenges. Unfortunately, facilities may require refurbishing, rearrangement, etc., to overcome these problems.

4. Change management

All company stakeholders need to sign off on these initiatives before the integration. Investors and management must select and approve processes, which may be difficult if everyone does not support the initiative. Furthermore, on-ground employees must be trained to understand the new technologies and processes. QA/QC processes must be altered to fit the updates, which are difficult because so many players are involved.

Conclusion

The pharmaceutical industry has a significant impact on the global environment. Not only do waste discharge and greenhouse gas emissions directly affect climate change, but product packaging creates waste that affects the biome in the area. Today, it has become abundantly clear that pharmaceutical companies need to invest in green initiatives.

The five cornerstones to target are energy efficiency, water conservation, waste management, sustainable packaging use, and fuel alternatives. However, they can only be achieved in stages. Therefore, companies should select the process or operation with the most significant environmental impact, optimise it, and work downwards. In time, companies can reduce their footprint while maintaining manufacturing efficiency.

FAQs

1. What are some examples of green manufacturing technologies for pharma?

Common examples of green manufacturing processes include green synthesis, water treatment systems, emission treatment systems, and energy-efficient equipment.

2. Why is there no general template for green manufacturing in pharma?

There is no general template because requirements vary from one plant to another. A pharmaceutical company may implement different initiatives and processes to reach the goal in each facility.

3. What type of waste does a pharmaceutical company create?

Waste includes soil waste, air emissions, wastewater, by-products, packaging material, unused material, etc., which are only sometimes recycled.