In today’s rapidly evolving world, achieving sustainability has become a pivotal goal, especially in industries like life sciences, where energy efficiency and emission reduction are critical. Emerson’s innovative measurement instrumentations are at the forefront of enabling these advancements. Let’s explore how these cutting-edge solutions are helping life sciences industries drive sustainability and operational efficiency.
Today, we have the pleasure of interviewing Danny Vandeput, a leading sustainability expert, to discuss the future of sustainable practices in life science manufacturing and the role we play in helping this industry achieve ambitious sustainability goals.
- What does sustainability mean to you, Danny, and why is it such an important issue for the life sciences industry today?
The life science industry faces unique challenges due to regulatory requirements, high energy consumption and cost, and the environmental impact of pharmaceuticals and medical devices. Just to paint the picture: the energy cost in Europe is on average 3x higher compared with other world areas like the U.S. – this creates additional challenges on the whole value chain.
Next to this, we see increasing pressure from the European Union, investors, and consumers to no longer accept the status quo – sustainability isn’t just a corporate responsibility goal — it’s a business imperative for long-term success in the life science industry. So, to remain competitive in this chaotic and fast-changing world, a step change is needed, by using energy in the most efficient way possible, reducing energy losses & emissions while looking to renewable energy sources. The secret here is to use sustainability as a competitive advantage rather than to see it as “something we need to do”.
To accommodate this, in 2019, the European Union created the Green Deal – a framework towards net-zero emissions by 2050 – which also impacts the life sciences industry. Similar initiatives were also launched in the United States (Inflation Reduction Act – IRA). However, recent political shifts have led to changes in its implementation while Europe continues to aim for net-zero emissions by 2050.
And yes, the transition is not easy, with Europe being challenged on all sides, with external forces that want to reduce, delay, or even remove initiatives like the EU Green Deal combined with growing doubts amongst industry.
- What are the biggest challenges you see when it comes to implementing sustainable practices in the life science industry?
There is a growing consensus amongst member states that the amount of (sustainability) reporting has overshot its purpose, combined with high energy prices & ETS fines, resulting in many industries being either forced to (temporarily) close or drastically reduce cost by laying off workforce – including in the life science industry.
Now, the saying goes: with big challenges come big opportunities. The new European Union’s Clean Industrial Deal (CID) was created to counter this with the goal of having a more competitive Europe with a focus on affordable energy prices. We will never be able to have the same energy prices as the U.S. or Asia, but the EU will provide funding to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy – which in the end will yield lower energy prices & emissions.
One of the major challenges in the life science industry is that many sites have limited visibility on the energy streams (WAGES = Water/Air/Gas/Electricity/Steam). Very often, this is due to missing measurement points. Emerson provides many of these sensors as non-intrusive (and mostly wireless), making it easy to deploy without creating contamination or complicated infrastructure works.
This is the first step: making the invisible (losses) visible and then creating a solution to monitor and rectify. A good example is something trivial like steam. Steam is the most expensive form of energy and is massively used in the life science industry as a quality enabler in production as for utilities. Leaking and blocking steam traps will create additional losses and emissions, which, in today’s environment, can have a significant impact. We all know this, but many sites have limited monitoring strategies around Steam.
- Are there any recent innovations in sustainable technologies that you’re particularly excited about?
I briefly touched on the environmental impact of pharmaceuticals and medical devices. A lot is happening around circularity, green chemistry, and biodegradable plastics. Another exciting development is to replace plastic blister packs and PVC with bioplastics or paper-based materials. These actions seem small, but the sheer magnitude of blister packs used today and the waste they generate can make a significant difference.
Other innovative approaches are being explored to utilize hydrogen in pharmaceutical production. There are still hurdles to take; one of them is the large CAPEX investment due to high production costs, infrastructure challenges, and uncertainty in the market.
What I often recommend is to choose your sustainability goals wisely. It is a vast topic, and you can lose yourself in what we call “the rabbit hole”. Inform yourself, identify the “low-hanging fruit” – like, for example, the WAGES issue – measure, identify & solve the issue.
Conclusion:
I couldn’t help thinking about the “Red Pill vs. Blue Pill” metaphor while writing this blog, popularized by The Matrix, on the sustainability challenges in the life sciences industry.
The Red Pill (Hard Truth, Transformation, Sustainability Commitment)
Choosing the red pill means facing the difficult realities of the environmental impact of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, emissions, and so on. Taking the red pill also means embracing change—moving towards green chemistry, circular economy solutions, and carbon-neutral healthcare. It’s the path of responsibility, innovation, and long-term resilience.
The Blue Pill (Status Quo, Business-as-Usual, Delaying Action)
Taking the blue pill means avoiding or downplaying sustainability challenges, sticking to old, wasteful processes because they are familiar, profitable in the short term, and less disruptive. It’s the choice that says that sustainability is important but not urgent, too expensive, and we will wait until we are forced to change.
So, ask yourself: which pill will you take?
For more information on how Emerson can help you drive sustainability and efficiency in your operations, learn more here.
