Sustainability Challenges in the Life Science World

Abstract

Following previous global initiatives on sustainability, during the ONU World Summit (New York, September 2015) the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted together with 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Paris Agreement on Climate Change followed in December 2015. 

All 17 goals are relevant from social, ethical, economic and technical points of view; however, emergencies due to climate change, natural resources preservation and – recently – natural gas shortages, are being given priorities in responding actions. 

Focusing on the SDGs related to the topics mentioned above, the approach to sustainability may be directed in the following streams:  

• Energy saving / energy efficiency optimization 
• Decarbonization 
• Sustainable use of natural resources 
• Waste / Circularity 

The life science industry’s energy footprint is extremely relevant due to the large quantities of air conditioning needed to fulfill the regulatory requirements inside facilities, and the energy absorbed by steam sterilization and in the clean utilities production and distribution systems. 

The CO2 footprint, which has had a strong impact on climate change, is also relevant, depending on energy and power produced and consumed in  the production facilities or acquired from outside, as well as  on the energy consumption associated with the operations in the company’s value chain (Scope 1, 2 and 3 – GHG Protocol, 2021). 

 Water is probably the most used natural resource in a pharmaceutical production plant and great opportunities of consumption reduction, reuse and recycle are still to be captured. 

Waste reduction and circularity are the last stream we will consider in order to promote sustainable management of the operations in the life science world.