Sustainability is an important issue and one that the pharmaceutical industry is taking seriously. For pharmaceutical manufacturers, sustainability presents significant challenges. For example, pharmaceutical manufacturing tends to consume a lot of energy and produce quite a bit of waste. At the same time, because the pharmaceutical industry is tightly regulated, manufacturers must make sure that any sustainability measures they adopt are compliant with regulations.
As a result, pharmaceutical manufacturers need to be creative regarding sustainability. Here’s a look at some of the approaches the industry is taking.
Reducing Energy Consumption Helps the Planet and Pharmaceutical Manufacturers
Energy consumption is a top concern for drugmakers because pharmaceutical manufacturing is energy-intensive. For example, manufacturing plants need to maintain optimal air quality and airflow to comply with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). They rely on high-powered HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems, which significantly drive up energy consumption.
The pharmaceutical industry is responding to this challenge through active energy management. Active energy management is an approach to energy conservation that begins with collecting data about how much energy a manufacturer consumes, identifying potential areas of improvement, and optimizing energy use through automated systems. Active energy management can help manufacturers reduce energy waste, which benefits the environment and leads to cost savings for the company.
Students in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Courses Can Keep an Eye on Packaging Trends
Packaging is another complicated sustainability issue that the pharmaceutical industry is tackling. In your pharmaceutical manufacturing courses, you will learn about topics related to pharmaceutical packaging, which, unlike in many other sectors, is tightly regulated for safety reasons. That tight regulation makes it a challenge for manufacturers to reduce packaging waste.
For example, tablets and pills are commonly packaged in blister packs. A blister pack has many advantages, including extending the shelf life of a pharmaceutical product since it seals out oxygen. Blister packs also help patients remember when to take their medications because individual pills or tablets can be labelled with weekdays. However, because blister packs are made from foil and plastic, they are usually non-recyclable. Creating a sustainable blister pack is a challenge, given that it is difficult to find materials that will keep out oxygen while also being sustainable. However, advances on this front have been made in recent years. For example, blister packs that incorporate recyclable paperboard and minimal foil and plastic are now finding their way to pharmacy shelves.
Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Have an Important Role to Play in Reducing Hazardous Waste
Pharmaceutical manufacturing plants can produce hazardous waste, such as manufacturing by-products, out-of-specification pharmaceuticals, and fluids used to clean and sanitize manufacturing equipment. The waste from pharmaceutical manufacturing can present challenges for the environment. If waste from pharmaceutical facilities gets into freshwater sources, for instance, then drinking water and water used for agricultural irrigation can become contaminated.
Because of these risks, there is growing discussion about introducing stricter environmental regulations for pharmaceutical waste. As part of your pharmaceutical manufacturing program, you will learn about the current GMP. While GMP does not yet include environmental standards, it does include standards for ensuring manufacturing facilities have proper facilities and processes for the disposal of hazardous waste. By understanding how hazardous waste should be properly disposed of, you can contribute to making pharmaceutical manufacturing more sustainable.
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