Eco-Design Yields Sustainability Gains — Why Is It So Hard?

By Karl Britt, VP Technology, Cytiva

Innovation presents significant challenges on biopharma’s path to sustainability. To achieve global sustainability goals, the biopharma industry must minimize the environmental impact of drugs and their development processes from beginning to end. This approach, known as "eco-design," demands innovation at every stage throughout a product's value chain.

However, data from Cytiva's 2024 Global Biopharma Sustainability Review reveals that companies are finding it difficult to succeed in this area: fewer than half of the biopharma leaders surveyed believe they are effectively maintaining sustainability across the entire product life cycle. This result highlights the complex reality of the biopharma industry. Navigating evolving regulatory policies, intricate supply chains, lengthy commercialization processes, and the traditionally conservative nature of the industry are all challenges companies must continue to address while prioritizing sustainability.

Keep reading to explore some of the biggest obstacles companies are encountering and what is already being executed to move the industry closer to significant sustainability progress and environmental achievements.