Pharmaceutical

The Benefits of Green Buildings for the Pharmaceutical Sector

Environmental sustainability is growing in importance for every industry and the pharmaceutical sector is no exception. While every business is facing a selection of similar challenges, pharmaceutical companies in particular face certain regulatory and restrictive barriers. For example, strict criteria in relation to cleanroom specifications and prescriptive methods of hazardous chemical handling and disposal.

For a number of years, pharmaceutical companies have been voluntarily implementing, innovating and promoting sustainable products and manufacturing processes through self-imposed targets. More recently though there has been a shift by international industry bodies and governments to expand regulations, restrictions and sanctions, for example, the carbon tax. In fact, the European Commission has recently published a Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability Towards a Toxic-Free Environment with the aim of making chemicals more sustainable and protecting the environment against hazardous waste.  

 

So how can green buildings help the pharmaceutical industry?

Green buildings are high performance constructions delivering cleaner indoor air quality, reducing pollution and reducing emissions not only during the construction stage but throughout the entire life cycle of the building. The benefits for pharmaceutical companies are clear and quantifiable. 

A World Green Building Council (WGBC) study shows that employees working in sustainable buildings have fewer sick leaves, suffer less stress, and experience increased productivity levels. The study demonstrates that improving access to natural lighting and outdoor views increases employee performance and reduces the incidence of certain pathologies. Other advantages include an increase in the perceived value of the property and a better brand image, among others. 

LEED and BREEAM are two of the most widely used green building rating systems currently available. They provide specific frameworks for highly efficient, cost-saving green buildings. Since manufacturing and production operations produce large amounts of energy, pharmaceutical companies can look to LEED and BREEAM certifications to independently verify that their building’s design, construction, operations, and maintenance are resource efficient and sustainable. 

For example, when Pfizer opened the first LEED Platinum certified pharmaceutical factory in the world at its factory in Dalian, China, the building was equipped with a smart energy management platform, enabling real-time calculations of factory energy consumption with energy usage optimised through images, texts, and videos. As a result of the LEED initiative, there was a significant improvement in energy efficiency, including savings in water (45%), energy (35%) and cost (28%), according to the standards of ASHRAE90.1-2007.

Beyond the certification route for green buildings, there are so many other innovative options available for achieving more sustainable operations. These can range from the very large to the very small. From sockets for charging electric vehicles to energy-efficient lighting fixtures, from a smart BMS (Building Management system) to an onsite ETP (Effluent Treatment Plant), from improving indoor air quality to using low VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) paints, sealants and adhesives the list goes on and on. 

Depending on your business goals, and the specific construction project to be completed, asking specialists for their design input can lead to better choices at every turn. The decisions taken at the design, construction and fit out stage will affect water and energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality and waste reduction. Taking the time to prioritise the sustainability of the building and making the “greenest” and most appropriate choice for the facility will mean a more durable and maintainable design for the future. 

 

Getting Innovative with eco-solutions

According to Brian Henry, Global Head of Drug Product Design, Pfizer, “About 70 to 80% of the carbon footprint sits in the manufacturing process.” This presents a real opportunity for pharmaceutical companies to analyse the life cycle of the production process and investigate new and innovative ways to improve their environmental impact. Manufacturing and production facilities and buildings which are designed to preserve resources, such as energy and water, reduce waste, and improve carbon footprint can improve a company’s green image while at the same time decreasing their manufacturing costs.

A real-life example of this is the Janssen Pharmaceuticals campus in Beerse, Belgium. Here, a $40 million idea was devised to build a system that could extract the vast reserves of hot water lying deep beneath the campus and use it to power everything on the site, from washing machines to air conditioners. This geothermal energy initiative not only helped to reduce energy costs but had the added benefit of slashing the site’s CO2 emissions by nearly one-third.

In order to deliver their ground-breaking drugs in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way, pharmaceutical companies may also need to adopt innovative chemical and supply chain processes. This could be in the way they monitor and manage energy usage, water and wastewater. Or it could be taken right back to the start when considering the location of the facility. The location is significant for available resources, transportation and the ‘greenness’ of the energy available. If the majority of the impact of the facility will be through transportation costs, then installing the best HVAC system in the world can’t truly help those impacts if it’s built in the wrong place.

The previously mentioned EU Chemicals Strategy, provides for EU Member States to invest in projects that facilitate the green and digital transition of EU industries and boost the competitiveness of sustainable EU industry so it can truly pay in more ways than one to think outside the box and bring original solutions to the table. 

 

Partnering for the Planet

As people, our health is inextricably linked to the health of the environment. Climate change, air pollution and the destruction of natural resources have an immediate and measurable impact on public health globally. As part of the healthcare industry, pharmaceutical companies have a particular responsibility to invest time, energy and resources to research and develop new and innovative ways to tackle global environmental challenges. When it comes to constructions projects the best way to position your business for success is by partnering with a specialist skilled in delivering green projects for the future. 

Partnering with construction specialists to get green buildings for your pharmaceutical project is a key element in your environmental sustainability strategy. In addition to the environmental benefits, green buildings also provide social benefits. Social benefits include increased public image, improved employee morale and productivity, improved economic development, and improved air quality. By partnering with the right construction experts, pharmaceutical companies can be sure that their green buildings are designed and constructed to be environmentally sustainable and energy-efficient.

ADCO is proud to work in true partnership with our clients to deliver world-class pharmaceutical facilities including those that stand alone here in Ireland or form part of extended global pharma operations. 

With clients that include Allergan, Takeda, Ipsen, Amgen, Biotrin, Covidien, Leo Pharma, MSD, Astellas, Wyeth, Helsinn, Alexion and Forest Laboratories, we believe we have seen, done, and overcome it all. No matter what your design, build or fit-out project requires, we have the skills to help.

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