White Paper on Climate Change
Executive Summary
The pharmaceutical industry is committed to making a positive impact on the lives of patients while operating
sustainably and therefore strives to contribute to a healthy environment and demonstrate leadership in doing
what’s necessary to mitigate climate change. This commitment is aligned with the ambition the European
Commission recently expressed through their European Green Deal and the European Climate policies.
The driving motivation of the pharmaceutical industry is to improve human health and wellbeing. It has been well
documented that climate change can adversely impact human health. Further understanding of these impacts
and the interface between people, health and the environment is critical to ensuring the pharmaceutical industry
can form and execute our response.
This White Paper highlights the commitment made by the EFPIA companies to:
ESTABLISH CLIMATE CHANGE POLICIES AND STRATEGIES BASED ON MATERIALITY
AND IMPACT FOR INDIVIDUAL COMPANIES, WHILST ADDRESSING THEIR ENTIRE VALUE
CHAINS;
PURSUE SCIENCE-BASED CO2 REDUCTION TARGETS;
CONTRIBUTE TO REDUCED ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND INCREASED ENERGY
EFFICIENCY AND SEEK OPPORTUNITIES TO USE MORE ENERGY FROM RENEWABLE
SOURCES THROUGHOUT THE VALUE CHAIN;
ANNUALLY AND PUBLICLY DISCLOSE CO2 PERFORMANCE CALCULATED ACCORDING TO
RECOGNIZED METHODOLOGIES SUCH AS THE WRI GREENHOUSE GAS PROTOCOL.
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1. Climate Change: An Overview
The United Nations’ Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) defines climate change as ‘a change
of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global
atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods.’
Since 1988, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), established by the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), has regularly published
reports and papers which indicate that climate change is increasingly impacting the earth’s physical, biological
and human systems.
In addition, the World Health Organization documented the fact that this change has the potential to affect
human health in a number of ways, including, but not limited to: altering the geographic range and seasonality
of certain infectious diseases, disturbing food-producing ecosystems, rise in sea level and increasing the frequency
of extreme weather events, such as hurricanes.
At the United Nations’ Climate Change Conference (Conference of the Parties (COP21) in Paris in December
2015, 195 Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – pledged to curb emissions,
strengthen resilience, and joined forces to take common climate action and reached the Paris Agreement. The
agreement covered all the crucial areas identified as essential for a landmark conclusion:
• Supporting the long-term goal to hold the increase in global average temperatures well below 2°C
and to pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5°C;
• A transparency system and global stock-take – accounting for climate action;
• Adaptation – strengthening ability of countries to deal with climate impacts;
• Loss and damage – strengthening ability to recover from climate impacts;
• Support - including finance, for nations to build clean, resilient futures;
• Decoupling of economic growth from Green House Gas emissions.
EFPIA welcomes the translation of this ambition in the European Union’s Green Deal and
Climate policies. President Ursula von der Leyen said: “We are acting today to make the EU
the world’s first climate neutral continent by 2050. The Climate Law is the legal translation of
our political commitment and sets us irreversibly on the path to a more sustainable future. It is
the heart of the European Green Deal. It offers predictability and transparency for European industry
and investors. And it gives direction to our green growth strategy and guarantees that the transition
will be gradual and fair.” The first climate action initiatives under the Green Deal include the European
Climate Law to enshrine the 2050 climate-neutrality objective into EU law and the European Climate
Pact to engage citizens and all parts of society in climate action. Based on a comprehensive impact
assessment, analysis of the national energy and climate plans, the Commission will propose a new EU
ambition to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
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2. Why Do We Care About Climate Change?
Air, water, and soil pollution; improper waste management; and degradation of ecosystems all negatively impact
human health. According to the WHO, climate change is among the greatest health risks of the 21st Century.
Climate change does have an influence on health be it directly or indirectly by changing infectious disease
patterns; increasing extreme weather events and the risk of drought, floods and subsequent food insecurity; and
increasing respiratory disease from poor air quality.
It is estimated by the WHO that one in every four premature deaths today is due to environmental factors. This
illustrates that our personal health depends on a healthy planet.1
As illustrated in the figure2 below, it is widely predicted that climate change will affect disease patterns and
outcomes in the future – in some cases adversely. Therefore, addressing climate change should be considered as
preventative care and puts the patient in the centre of tackling climate change.
1 WHO Publication 2016: Preventing disease through healthy environments: a global assessment of the burden of disease from environmental risks
2 Injury Prevention and Environmental Health. 3rd edition. Mock CN, Nugent R, Kobusingye O, et al., editors. Washington (DC): The International Bank
for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank; 2017 Oct 27.
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The pharmaceutical industry is committed to making a positive impact on the lives of patients while operating
sustainably and therefore wants to contribute to a healthy environment and demonstrate leadership in doing
what’s necessary to mitigate climate change.
The driving motivation of the pharmaceutical industry is to improve human health and wellbeing. It has been well
documented that climate change can adversely impact human health. Further understanding of these impacts
and the interface between people, health and the environment is critical to ensuring the pharmaceutical industry
can form and execute our response.
The pharmaceutical industry is, in absolute terms, generally considered a medium-impact sector (FTSE4Good)
with regard to CO2e emissions and EFPIA member companies, research driven pharmaceutical companies, do
typically not belong to the high energy consuming companies. We are committed to contribute responsibly
to progress in regard to CO2e reduction targets, specifically addressing increased energy efficiency and lowered
energy intensity across our value chains.
In addition, early evidence suggests that innovation that improves health outcomes while optimizing resources
also reduces carbon impacts. As our mission is to create a collaborative environment that enables our members
to innovate, discover, develop and deliver new therapies and vaccines for people across Europe; we believe that
innovation that also considers the use of resources will reduce the footprint of addressing diseases.
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3. Our Approach - How pharma is contributing to address global warming
Our industry encourages appropriate use of a risk-based approach to environmental challenges and undertakes
initiatives to promote climate action by supporting:
• The principles in UN Global Compact regarding climate;
• United Nations’ Sustainability Development Goal 13, aiming for urgent action to be taken to
combat climate change and its impacts;
• The Paris Climate Accord approved at COP21 by supporting the long-term goal to hold the increase
in global average temperatures well below 2°C and to pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5°C;
• The European Union’s ambition to be climate neutral by 2050;
• Adoption of a global framework (based on COP21) to address CO2e challenges under which all
major emitting countries are committed to emission reduction goals and thus addressing the entire
value chain.
EFPIA members are consistently working towards reducing Green House Gas emissions. An EFPIA 2020-survey
identified several trends in finding innovative solutions to mitigate climate change. The pharmaceutical industry
is setting an increasing number of science-based targets and favours these targets to also be absolute.
The industry also recognizes that the majority of its Green House Gas emissions are located in its supply chain and
hereto are taking action to engage its entire value chain.
One concrete step to reduce the Green House Gas emissions would be to replace the paper package leaflets with
electronic leaflets. A transfer from paper to electronic product information will also save paper and forest. EFPIA
proposals for improved product information is available here.
This is illustrated by the activities listed below which will also showcase to our stakeholders, examples of how the
pharmaceutical industry addresses climate change.
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Examples of activities undertaken by the pharmaceutical industry
REDUCTION OF CO2 EMISSIONS AT COMPANY SITES
UCB
In support of the ambition to render operations UCB
directly controls carbon neutral, UCB installed a
Combined Heat Power (CHP) unit at its site in Braine
- l’Alleud (Belgium). Through the improved energy
efficiency of this technology, the annual consumption
of natural gas at the site was reduced by 3100 MWh
and corresponding CO2e emissions by 600 Tons (or
5% of the site’s CO2e emissions).
As of 2020 the usage of natural gas, used as an
energy source to e.g. the CHP unit at the site, will
gradually be phased out and replaced by renewable
biomethane. This will reduce the site’s annual CO2e
emissions in 2020 by 2500 Tons CO2 (based on the
usage of 20% biomethane) and by 14 000 TCO2 as of
2024 when the site will totally have replaced natural
gas by biomethane.
LEO PHARMA
In 2019 and first half of 2020, LEO Pharma has
carried out energy savings projects, reducing CO2
emissions with 800 tons and reducing consumption
of energy with 4.1 GWh corresponding to the
consumption of 165 Danish households. Projects
include energy friendly pumps and fans, update of
light units, new compressors and not least a heat
pump alone saving 490 tons CO2. Also, several savings
in optimising operations have been identified, mainly
in ventilation. The realized savings are driven by a
10% consumption reduction target ending 2020 with
2013 as baseline. Furthermore, 150 new meters were
installed in 2019 at Danish sites in order to identify
more saving opportunities.
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ASTRAZENECA
As part of AstraZeneca’s GHG reduction program
(validated for the first time by SBTi in 2016), Astra
Zeneca’s site in Gothenburg, Sweden has installed
three highly efficient heat pumps, which has
allowed it to drastically reduce the use of gas. It
electrifies some of the site’s steam demand and
has the potential to replace over 60% of site gas
consumption.
Coupled with the site transitioning to renewable
electricity in 2016, the investment has saved
approximately 2,500 tonnes of CO2 per year and
increased energy efficiency. The residual gas is now
also transferred into biogas.
PFIZER
Pfizer’s history of sustainability leadership includes
being the first pharmaceutical company to have
approved Science Based Targets (SBTs) in 2015 and
issuance of the first Sustainability Bond in the sector in
March 2020.
Through successive greenhouse gas reduction goals,
Pfizer has delivered 55% reduction in GHG since 2000.
To achieve these goals thousands of energy efficiency
and other projects have been completed. This includes
investment in renewable energy including installation of
a 2-Megawatt wind turbine at a manufacturing facility
in Puurs, Belgium; and construction of solar panels at
several other sites, in addition to pursuing Leadership
in Energy and Environmental Design including first
in the sector LEED-NC Platinum certification for our
aseptic facility in Dalian, China.
Pfizer remains committed to continuing to implement
greenhouse emission and other resource use reduction
projects and continuing to work with key supply
chain partners to help them achieve greenhouse gas
reductions.
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SANOFI
In 2015, 50,000 tons of Sanofi’s CO2 equivalent emissions came from refrigerant leaks in the chillers. Sanofi
has launched a program to prioritize natural fluids and better control leaks. In four years, our CO2
emissions linked to refrigerants have been reduced by 40% with 22,000 tons of CO2 savings. For example,
on a chemical site in France, a single cold loop at -20° C with ammonia and CO2 was able to replace 6 chillers
(R507A) and 6 cooling towers and thus increased energy efficiency by 250%.
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SWITCHING TO ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES AT COMPANY SITES
LUNDBECK
At its chemical factory, Lundbeck has switched from
fossil fuels to bio fuel and by this reduced CO2
emission by 3.000 tons per year, a 16% absolute
reduction of the total scope 1 and 2 emissions.
Since 2006 Lundbeck has reduced its energy
consumption by 35% equal to a 68% absolute
CO2 reduction (scope 1 and 2) achieved by many
different process and facility optimizations. E.g. HQ
cooling facility refurbishment in Denmark with six
new degassing units in 2019. This saves 300 MWh
annually equivalent to 60 Tonnes of CO2.
NOVARTIS
Novartis negotiated a Virtual Power Purchase
Agreement (VPPA) with Invenergy, North America’s
largest privately held renewable energy company. The
agreement added 100 megawatts (MW) of renewable
energy to the electrical grid and is in support of the
Novartis environmental sustainability strategy and
goals.
The electricity is generated from Invenergy’s Santa Rita
East wind farm, located approximately 70 miles west
of San Angelo, Texas. Coming online in June 2019, the
wind farm created about 300 jobs during construction
and now supports up to 12 to 15 permanent jobs
once operational.
This VPPA delivers 100 MW of new wind power
capacity to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas
that operates the electric grid and manages the
deregulated market for 75% of the state. Over the
life of the 12-year agreement, the project is expected
to reduce Novartis greenhouse gas emissions by more
than 220,000 metric tons per year. This equates to
removing more than 48,000 passenger vehicles from
the road on an annual basis and eliminates all of the
Novartis carbon footprint from purchased electricity
in the US market, moving Novartis towards carbon
neutrality in own operations.
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JANSSEN
The Janssen Beerse site in Belgium is the largest energy user of all Johnson & Johnson sites worldwide. Its
electricity consumption equals that of 38,000 homes. That’s why Janssen is continually focusing on innovative
solutions and sustainable ways of minimizing their impact on the environment. Janssen is making significant
investments to ensure that as from 2020 the campus buildings will be heated and cooled using deep
geothermal energy as a green and renewable energy source. Calculations have demonstrated that
utilizing the earth’s deeply embedded heat would reduce CO2 emissions by 30% for the Beerse site, Belgium.
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FAVOUR SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS SUPPORTING ECONOMIC
SOLUTIONS IN OUR BUSINESS PROCESSES
CHIESI
As a Benefit Corporation and certified BCorp®,
Chiesi has in place a systematic green design
approach for all its new products. One concrete
example, announced at the United Nations Climate
Change Conference (COP25), are Chiesi’s pressurized
metered dose inhalers (pMDIs) which currently use
hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) propellants. These inhalers
are being fundamentally reworked to reduce their
carbon footprint by 90%, as measured thanks to
Chiesi’s systematic approach model for Carbon
Footprint Measurement. Chiesi’s carbon minimal
pMDIs will be on the market by the end of 2025. Not
only does this preserve the health of the patient but
of the planet too whilst further minimizing the already
limited contribution of HFCs in pharmaceutical uses.
BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM
Boehringer Ingelheim recognizes the negative
effects of greenhouse gas emissions and has identified
the use of renewable energies and reducing energy
consumption as key strategic priorities. Within their
worldwide environmental sustainability program ‘BE
GREEN’, they are now working to reduce their total
greenhouse gas emissions notably. In addition,
they are reducing emissions across the value chain. In
order to foster its transition to a low carbon economy,
BI has implemented for all investments and business
systems a green fund and an internal carbon price of
100 € / ton CO2 equivalent. Creating environmental
awareness at work contributes to environmental
protection and the reduction of greenhouse gas
emissions.
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MERCK
Merck KGaA has set the target to reduce CO2 emissions by 20% from 2006 to 2020. In the last decade
more than 360 energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction projects have been implemented.
For example, to achieve the goal to reduce the environmental impact of the supply chain of Global Health
Observatory (GHO) medicines by re-designing shipping routes and adopting more environment-friendly
transportation schemes, the GHO organization launched a transformation program in 2019 to reduce carbon
footprint associated with logistics by converting the air freights into sea freights.
In 2018, 65% of medicines were shipped by air. In 2019, 3800t of CO2 emissions were reduced by converting
the shipment of medicine from air freights into sea freights. The changes impacted routes in 12 countries with
main contributions from China, Vietnam, South Africa and India. The GHO ambition is to reduce by 10,000
tons/year by 2023 which is the equivalent to neutralize the CO2 emission of 20,000 passengers travelling
from Paris to New York every year. Further reviews concluded that GHO can convert up to 85%-90% of our
medicine shipments in primary distribution to sea freight while taking no risk to impact their patients’ supply.
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DRIVING THE REDUCTION OF SCOPE 3 EMISSIONS DOWN OUR
VALUE
NOVO NORDISK
Novo Nordisk strives to reduce CO2 emissions from their activities and value chain as a part of an
overall ambition to have zero environmental impact. Since 2005, Novo Nordisk has focused on reducing
emissions related to production and has recently reached the target of sourcing 100% renewable power
across all global production sites. Now Novo Nordisk is focusing on transitioning to green sources for steam
and heat in order to have 100% renewable energy across Scope 1 and Scope 2 sources.
However, emissions from operations (Scope 1 & 2) only make up a small percentage of the Novo Nordisk
carbon footprint. Therefore, Novo Nordisk has expanded their targets to also include transportation (product
distribution and business travel), along with engaging with suppliers of raw materials and goods & services to
reduce their carbon footprints. Novo Nordisk has an approved Science Based Target, which includes that key
suppliers (300 suppliers representing 2/3 of scope 3 emissions) will have GHG reduction targets by 2030. As
a part of the Novo Nordisk Suppliers for Zero programme, Novo Nordisk is working with suppliers to reduce
CO2 emissions, waste and resource use across the value chain.
FURTHER EXAMPLES OF COMPANY COMMITMENTS AND REPORTS
o AbbVie 2018 Responsible Action Report and AbbVie - Prioritizing environmental sustainability
o AstraZeneca’s Ambition Zero Carbon strategy and Environmental Protection webpage
o Bayer Climate Protection webpage
o Biogen – Position Paper 2020
o Chiesi - SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2019
o GSK – Climate Change Position Paper
o IPSEN- Financial report 2019 (p 165 – 167)
o Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) – Climate & Energy Commitments
o Lundbeck – UN Global Compact Progress Report
o Merck – Climate Action Report 2019
o MSD – Environmental sustainability 2020
o Novartis – Climate commitments
o Novo Nordisk Climate Position on Climate Change
o Pfizer – Climate Change Position
o Roche – Position on Climate Change April 2020
o Sanofi – April 2019
o Takeda Commitment to Carbon Neutrality and Position statement on climate change
o UCB – Integrated Annual Report 2019
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4. Commitment
As the pharmaceutical industry is committed to making a positive impact on the lives of patients while operating
sustainably and therefore wants to contribute to a healthy environment and demonstrate leadership in doing
what’s necessary to mitigate climate change, EFPIA member companies are committed to:
Establish climate change
policies and strategies Pursue science-
based on materiality and based CO2e
impact for individual reduction targets
companies, addressing
their entire value
chains
Contribute to
reduced energy
consumption and Annually and
increased energy publicly disclose
efficiency and seek CO2 performance
opportunities to calculated according
use energy from to recognized
renewable sources methodologies such as
throughout the value e.g. the Greenhouse
chain Gas Protocol
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Partnering
To make the above commitments even stronger, EFPIA will partner with stakeholders so that:
• Public policies are clear and stable, allow for flexible and predictable approaches and allow sufficient
time and technical, organizational and procedural freedom for change and development to achieve
emission reduction targets;
• Public policies address the links between climate change, water scarcity, biodiversity and public
health risks;
• The entire value chain is driven to improve performance;
• The broader healthcare community is engaged in developing future climate policies.
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Disclaimer: This document has been developed under the leadership of
the EFPIA Environment, Health and Safety group. The examples included
are a non-exhaustive selection which do not represent the full level of
activities on climate change being undertaken across our industry.
@EFPIA
June 2020 www.efpia.eu
