Environmental footprint assessment for drug delivery products
On behalf of one of the world's top 20 pharmaceutical companies, Milani assessed the environmental impact of the five most common drug delivery devices and identified measures to improve sustainability and innovation processes.
Measuring the carbon footprint of the drug delivery portfolio with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
As part of its overall sustainability strategy, the pharmaceutical company aims to reduce its carbon footprint, minimize waste, and lower its environmental impact. In addition to improving manufacturing processes and transitioning to renewable energy sources, our client wanted to apply these goals to its drug delivery product portfolio.
Drug delivery devices, such as auto-injectors, prefilled syringes, or pen devices, play a critical role in delivering treatments to patients in a convenient and safe manner. But once injected, they all end up as waste. Our client needed to understand the environmental impact of its device portfolio in order to identify opportunities for action.
For this purpose, Milani conducted a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of its five most common devices. We collected comprehensive data on the products and their supply chains, covering the entire product life cycle, including resource extraction, manufacturing, distribution, use, and end-of-life phases. Milani worked together with experts from multiple departments and areas of expertise, including engineering, design, packaging, assembly, and cold storage. In addition, we provided insights from research and experts in our network.
For the LCA, we used the European Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology, which provides a standardized methodological framework for assessing and communicating the environmental performance of products. We also modeled the Circularity Index, which shows the degree of circularity of products.
Identifying environmental hotspots and innovation opportunities
Milani produced a comprehensive report detailing the environmental "hotspots" of the drug delivery devices, the areas of greatest environmental impact. With this data, the client was able to confirm assumptions about where the hotspots were, but also gain insight into aspects not previously considered. Most importantly, the LCA provided a solid starting point for improving the company's innovation for sustainability processes.
Drawing on our extensive experience in medical design and circular design, we identified improvements that promise to significantly reduce the environmental footprint of the devices and supporting processes such as packaging and logistics.
Our client's management team is now empowered to make informed decisions and start implementing targeted improvements throughout the value chain, including the use of environmentally friendly materials, improved packaging, and optimized logistics processes. In addition, the client was able to align its product portfolio with its environmental goals and establish a roadmap for future sustainable development that meets both regulatory expectations and consumer preferences.
Lead Sustainability, Member of the Management Board
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