(144g) Sustainable API Development: Developing a Strategy for Measuring and Reducing Environmental Impact in the Pharmaceutical Industry

In January 2020, AstraZeneca announced its ambition to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from its sites and fleet by 2025 and to become carbon negative across the entire value chain by 2030. The development and manufacture of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) contributes significantly to AstraZeneca’s carbon footprint and process engineers have a responsibility to play a leading role in achieving the zero-carbon target.

This presentation will share the approach taken to implement a strategy for measuring and reducing environmental impact during the development and manufacture of APIs. This approach comprises of influencing ways of working during API process development, implementing robust measurement of process environmental impact and identifying opportunities for innovation through science and technology to minimise AZ’s carbon footprint.

This approach describes developing a procedure to appropriately consider sustainability alongside other key drivers for process design such as product quality, manufacturability and regulatory factors. Similarly, creating a culture to deliver continuous improvement against established metrics for sustainability in every aspect of API development and manufacturing.

This case also describes initiation of novel technology investigations to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of AstraZeneca’s API manufacturing processes. This will be a leading factor in achieving a 50% reduction in carbon footprint for API development and the zero-carbon ambition of the company.