Pharmaceutical Green Practices
Green Chemistry in the Pharmaceutical Industry: A Model for Sustainability
12 principles of Green Chemistry and how pharma companies score
1. Prevention
2. Atom Economy
3. Less Hazaedous Chemical Synthesis
4. Designing Safer Chmeicals
5. Safer Solvents and Auxiliaries
6. Design for Energy Efficiency
7. Use of Renewable Feedstocks
8. Reduce Derivatives
9. Catalysis
10. Design for Degradation
11. Real-Time Analysis for Pollution Prevention
12. Inherently safer Chemistry for accident prevention
Concept of 'green' chemistry for 'clean' pharma
After numerous Acts and Rules, the current economic situation is forcing managements to re-think their stand on Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) policies. Suresh Pareek, Managing Director, Ideal Cures, gives the industry's perspective of how pharmaceutical companies can go green.
Archive of green related articles on the pharmaceutical industry
Examples of article titels are:
- Abbott to Launch 40 Sustainable Packaging Initiatives
- Group Wants Pharma Firms to Take Back Unused Meds
- In Pharma Sustainability, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson Rate High
Pharma Tackles Environmental And Social Sustainability Practices
The push for sustainable environmental practices has executives worldwide discussing how to incorporate systems that respect the planet while remaining profitable. The pharmaceutical industry is no exception, but it – along with its suppliers – faces a somewhat unique challenge: how to achieve this and respect the regulations at the same time.
“Sustainability” is a malleable term that means different things in different contexts. To preservationists, it connotes business practices that keep environmental impact to a minimum, if not to have “zero impact” altogether. To public accounting firms, which speak of environmental impact as one of several business attributes that collectively represent the reporting of nonfinancial results, such as charitable activities, workplace safety, and other evidence of “corporate social responsibility” (CSR).
Environmetal Stewardship of Pharmaceuticals: The Green Pharmacy
Actions required to address occurrence of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) as environmental pollutant
First Steps in Sustainable HVAC Design for Bio/Pharma Facilities
Historically, pharmaceutical facilities have been designed with little regard to energy efficiency. Product quality has, rightly, trumped all other considerations. Systems have been designed for greatest assurance of consistent environmental conditions, with constant volume / reheat and high air change rates the “order of the day”. Steps to prevent cross-contamination in multi-product plants have been draconian, ranging from 100% fresh air/exhaust to multiple series HEPA filters in supply and exhaust.
Concerns for Global Warming and Sustainability challenge these practices and cause us to ask the question “Can we protect the patient without sacrificing the planet?” Developments in processing equipment, isolation technology and a risk/science based approach to assuring parameters of Strength, Identity, Safety, Purity and Quality (SISPQ) open a new world of possibilities for HVAC in Biotech and Pharmaceutical facilities.
In this article we will explore principles to apply in the first step of the HVAC design process to yield greater energy efficiency.
Improving Energy Efficiency in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Operations
Pharmaceutical manufacturing plants in the U.S. spend nearly $1 billion each year for the fuel and electricity they need to keep their facilities running. Improving energy efficiency should be a strategic goal for any plant manager or manufacturing professional working in the drug industry today.
Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Goes Green
Advances in enzymatic catalysis of synthetic reactions, solvent substitutions, and recycling of byproducts and waste may not only reduce the environmental impact of pharmaceutical processes, but with the potential to have a positive effect on synthetic efficiency and overall productivity, can also decrease waste streams, lessen energy input, and minimize the need for hazardous reagents. These developments can put green—in the form of lower manufacturing costs—back into corporate coffers.
Can Sustainability Help Pharma Sustain Itself?
Sustainability, it seems, has become a catchall concept applied to any practice that might save energy or help the planet a little. Witness what Wikipedia has to say: “Sustainability has become a wide-ranging term that can be applied to almost every facet of life on Earth.” As such, the term has lost a bit of its punch.
That’s unfortunate, because now more than ever sustainability should become an integral part of drug manufacturers’ business and operational practices—doing the things that will help us sustain the planet such as consuming less energy and producing less waste, and in turn help the manufacturer sustain itself.
Sustainable Development & Production of Human Pharmaceuticals
The research pharmaceutical industry is approaching environmental sustainability in two ways. Firstly by minimising its environmental footprint by increasing the efficiency with which it uses resources across all aspects of its business activities. Secondly, by reducing the environmental pressure exerted by that footprint by moving towards the use of less hazardous materials where that is possible. The objective is to minimise environmental impact whilst maintaining patient benefit.
Sustainability in green pharmaceutical production
Reducing energy consumption and carbon footprint are major focus areas for the pharmaceutical industry. Many articles are being published describing the need for and advantages of sustainable processing. However, achieving this is not as simple as reducing the amount of business travel, using energy-saving light bulbs or even bringing renewable energy sources into the business. More drastic measures must be taken to make a business sustainable.