Pharma Sweden: Climate neutral by 2038, net zero by 2045

Will Sweden’s pharma industry be able to lead the charge? The jury’s out on that one. But maybe with global collaboration, clarity from healthcare procurement, and innovation from across the value chain, it has a fighting chance to meet the goal.

Last week, organisations representing Sweden’s pharma, chemicals, and plastics industries committed to go climate neutral by 2038 and fossil-free by 2045.

Will Sweden’s pharma industry be able to lead the charge? The jury’s out on that one. But maybe with global collaboration, clarity from healthcare procurement, and innovation from across the value chain, it has a fighting chance to meet the goal.

💉 Single-Use Plastics: A Critical Dilemma
Modern healthcare relies heavily on single-use plastics, and for pharma, this poses one of the biggest climate challenges. While bio-based plastics are emerging as a potential alternative, they aren’t yet consistently meeting the required chemical stability for sensitive medical applications, especially when in contact with drugs or biohazardous materials. The issue is further complicated by the inability to recycle many biohazardous materials through conventional mechanical recycling processes.

💡 A Compliance-Driven Industry: Breaking Old Habits
Pharma’s value chain is deeply rooted in compliance, with an understandable focus on safety and efficacy. Innovators are cautious about tweaking long-standing processes due to fears of red tape and potential validation issues. Historically, climate impacts and waste have been seen as a necessary trade-off to save lives. This mindset, coupled with the sector's exemption from some of the EU Green Deal's stringent regulations, may further slow the momentum for change.

🔗 Global Value Chains: A Collaborative Effort
The pace of global initiatives may block Sweden’s pharma research in achieving their goals. While Sweden’s commitment is inspiring, the pharmaceutical industry’s global value chains add layers of complexity. Although many rate life sciences as sustainability leaders, only a few global pharma players have committed to net zero by 2045.

🚀 Public Sector procurement priorities: The Missing Link
To make this a reality, the public sector must play a more proactive role. As a major customer, the public sector can drive change by prioritizing suppliers who are genuinely reducing their climate impact while safeguarding patient care. The time for real action is now—aligning public and private sector efforts will be essential to meet these targets.

I for one, am watching this space.

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