Calum Love, sustainability technical lead, Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology explores the role of sustainability in single use and if the two are mutually exclusive.
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The healthcare industry is responsible for 4.4-4.6% of global greenhouse gas emissions, from a combination of direct emissions of care facilities and the complex supply chains associated with medical treatments.
The European Union’s healthcare systems combined are one of the top three emitters globally, however the EU has set ambitious targets to reduce this. The European Green Deal introduced in 2019 sets the goal of reaching climate neutrality by 2050, which would require a fundamental transformation of carbon-intensive industries, including pharmaceutical processing. Lifecycle thinking goes beyond the traditional focus on production sites and manufacturing processes to include the environmental, social, and economic impacts of a product over its entire lifecycle—from resource extraction to end-of-life.
The unique demands of the pharmaceutical industry
Transport
Pharmaceutical research is undertaken globally, and patients are located around the world, but much of the industry’s manufacturing takes place in India, China and other emerging markets. For this globally integrated industry, transport of ingredients, equipment and final products generates a large proportion of the life sciences industry’s emissions. Speed is often necessary to protect fragile components, particularly with the rise of biologics, cell and gene therapies and other sensitive materials. Air freight is therefore often the favoured option, transporting around 35% of pharmaceuticals.
APIs
As well as transport, 25% of pharma emissions can be attributed to the manufacture of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), of which 70% are small molecules synthesised from petrochemicals. Synthetic biology offers the opportunity to produce these starting materials from non-petrochemical feedstocks, however there is still much progress to be made to deliver these at the scale required.
The production of these therapies often involves energy-intensive processes that require high temperatures and pressures or the use of solvents. Since the 1990s, the green chemistry movement has driven scientists to seek more sustainable alternatives, but progress is still needed.
Challenging single-use assumptions
Single-use technology is approximately 50% less energy intensive than stainless steel alternatives due to the reduction of consumption and heating of large volumes of water and well as chemical use, to clean and sterilise traditional stainless steel equipment.
However, with an estimated 30,000 tonnes of biopharma single-use products sent to landfill or incinerated each year assessments and continuous improvement in sourcing, manufacturing, distribution, use and disposal of single-use products is required.
Lifecycle thinking
Eco-design is the design of a product, system or service with the aim of minimising the overall impact on the environment. Performance, quality and value should not be compromised by eco-design as it considers the full lifecycle. By taking this systems-level approach, lifecycle thinking helps identify hotspots, and opportunities to reduce impact. Importantly, it also helps to avoid burden shifting, for example, where impacts are transferred from one stage of the lifecycle to another or from an environmental impact to a social or economic impact.
Optimising specific stages of a product’s manufacturing can have unintended consequences elsewhere and simply shift the burden. For example, making a product heavier can generate more emissions in transport or give it a shorter life span.
Taking a lifecycle view when developing or re-designing products is therefore key to achieve Scope 3 net zero targets. A lifecycle assessment (LCA) examines the full environmental impact of a product, from the production of raw materials to its use and final disposal. Given the vast number of products involved in the pharmaceutical supply chain, this is a complex undertaking that requires collaboration across the industry to achieve meaningful results.
Calum Love said: “A lifecycle assessment is a key tool in a design engineer’s sustainability toolbox. There are other tools and metrics that may be more appropriate at different stages of the design process, but the benefit of an LCA is in its name – lifecycle. We can develop a full lifecycle view and generate the data that will help us make informed decisions while avoiding burden shifting.”
Prioritising impact
There are a number of impact categories that can be evaluated in an LCA including climate change, natural resources and human health. As one of the most pressing global challenges, climate change is frequently prioritised, and carbon emissions are often chosen as a key metric. However, other metrics such as water security and biodiversity should not be overlooked and remain important as we approach key climate deadlines.
The challenge
To support global healthcare systems to reduce their climate impact, organisations involved in the pharmaceutical supply chain need to take innovative approaches to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of their products. Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions (Watson-Marlow) has committed to targets approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), aiming to reach net zero for scope 1 and 2 emissions (emissions that are in its direct control) by 2030, and scope 3 emissions (those the company is indirectly responsible for, up and down its value chain), by 2050.
BioClamp is a plastic union clamp (Tri-Clamp), specifically designed to provide hygienic, non-contaminating joints in busy pharmaceutical and bioprocessing laboratories. The clamp was originally launched in 2011 as an ideal solution for single-use critical fluid transfer lines and provides secure attachment of sanitary fittings for customers across the biopharmaceutical industry. However, BioClamp is a single-use solution, made of nylon, which is considered a highly emitting material. As such, there may be opportunities to reduce its environmental impact and that of the processes it is used in.
The assessment and solution
Watson-Marlow, has refined the design and manufacturing of the BioClamp single-use sanitary clamp to provide a carbon reduction across the lifecycle for users.
Watson-Marlow applied a lifecycle assessment (LCA) to ensure the optimisations made would deliver maximum results. The LCA identified that upstream processing of raw material in the supply chain contributed to 51% of the impact for BioClamp as the creation of nylon has the largest impact on the environment in terms of carbon generation, contributing the most to the overall impact of the product. The LCA also highlighted opportunities to further reduce the carbon footprint associated with on-site manufacture.
Following this assessment process, BioClamp was redesigned with the intention of making the manufacturing operation as efficient as possible. The hinge of the clamp was redesigned to remove the pins and replace with a snap fit feature. This not only removed additional components, but the advanced ergonomic hinge makes BioClamp easier to close and simplifies the assembly process, with quick changeovers to improve user experience and enhance efficiency. The updated design also delivers reduced distortion on polymeric fittings when subjected to heat.
On top of this redesign, there was a significant reduction in the waste produced, through enhanced manufacturing efficiency, improved sorting and recycling processes, and the transition to a renewable energy supply.
The results
BioClamp is now designed and manufactured to be 13% lighter than the previous model, using less nylon and overall, less emissions up and down the value stream. A 26% reduction in CO2e emissions across the full lifecycle of the product has been achieved, which demonstrates the potential gains that can be made across the industry if similar approaches are taken.