Supply chain gaps challenge biopharma to measure sustainability ROI

Data limitation is also a key barrier.

The biopharma industry faces challenges in accurately measuring the return on investment (ROI) for sustainability initiatives, according to Raymond Chow, Vice President, Commercial, APAC at Cytiva. 

Speaking about the findings of Cytiva’s Global Biopharma Sustainability Review, Chow pointed to weak supply chain collaboration, limited data access, and technological constraints as the key barriers hindering progress.

“Collaboration across the supply chain is causing a huge barrier in making these changes more sustainable,” said Chow, noting that 69% of participants in the study cited this as a key challenge. Despite the global push for emissions reduction, biopharma companies find it difficult to align their efforts with suppliers and partners. 

Chow emphasised that this lack of alignment is limiting the industry’s ability to reduce carbon emissions, particularly scope three emissions, which account for the majority of environmental impact.

"Scope three emissions include the indirect emissions created across the entire biopharma value chain, and it’s very difficult to know exactly whether these measurements are correct or even accurate," Chow noted. 

Data limitations also remain a significant barrier. “About 68% of companies said that the lack of data to measure performance is a barrier to achieving overall sustainability targets,” Chow shared. He explained that companies often lack the tools and systems needed to capture and analyse data accurately. 

“Managing, measuring, and controlling such a wide network is easier said than done,” Chow concluded. However, with governments prioritising emissions reduction, the industry must overcome these hurdles to ensure long-term sustainability and future-proof operations.