CPHI Frankfurt (hosted at the Messe Frankfurt, 1-3 November) announces the launch of its first ever dedicated Sustainability Theatre as new findings show the pharma industry is undergoing a dramatic shift towards greener manufacturing, with implications for supply chain partners, CDMOs, ingredient and excipient manufacturers.

The Sustainability Theatre will gather more than 20 industry experts across 15 targeted sessions, covering everything from ingredients and excipients, ESG risks and requirements to the impact on quality, metrics, supply chains and biologics.

The CPHI sustainability sentiment index[1] points to almost universal consensus that environmental credentials are now integral to all supply chain decisions. In data released ahead of CPHI Frankfurt, 95% of industry executives suggest it is either ‘important’ or ‘extremely important’ (52%) to have visibility on supply chain partners.

Within the next five years, 83% believe specific ‘sustainability metrics’ (e.g. full waste recycling, green power percentage, low PMIs, and green chemistries) will be implemented within all CDMO contracts – suggesting the industry must accelerate its drive towards modern manufacturing and more efficient chemistries. In fact, nearly 60% believe CDMOs will be required to provide their partners with both ‘sustainability metrics’ for projects and specific corporate ‘ESG goals’.

“Our latest findings show that sustainability goals are now one of the most urgent business strategies facing pharma companies. CPHI is committed to supporting the industry towards a greener and more responsible future, through sharing best practices and providing a platform for thought leadership and sustainable partnerships. How pharma prepares for this today – in the technologies implemented and partners selected – will have direct implications for company profitability tomorrow,” commented Orhan Caglayan, Group Portfolio Director – Pharma, Informa Markets.

For an industry used to selling on ‘the speed of development’ and/or ‘cost’, this will have profound implications for how contract service providers go about  marketing their services to innovators, as well as potential infrastructure planning. The consensus among the industry is that investments need to be made now in modern manufacturing to prepare for these shifts.

Highlighting this trend, at CPHI Frankfurt, Boehringer Ingelheim and Novartis will present on the new iGAL 2.0 metric and how this can be successfully integrated into Pharma-CDMO partnerships. Also presenting is Aurelio Arias, Engagement Manager, Thought Leadership at IQVIA, who will warn in his session that healthcare services are looking to use their considerable buying power to drive  change, ‘having identified medicines as one of the largest single contributors to their carbon footprint’.

Speaking ahead of what will be the largest ever sustainability programme delivered to the CPHI Frankfurt audience. Tara Dougal, Content Director - Pharma at Informa Markets added: “We are committed to helping the industry access the insights needed to evolve towards more sustainable manufacturing practices. This is why we wanted to launch a dedicated content space for sustainability at the CPHI Frankfurt event, a forum for exploring case studies and next generation technologies that can help make drug manufacturing and pharma supply chains more sustainable in the long-term.”