ECO-DESIGN TOOL - How Life Cycle Assessment is Transforming Drug Delivery Device Sustainability

INTRODUCTION

Sustainability is now a key concern for all actors in the phar­maceutical industry, including drug delivery device manufacturers. And while good progress has been made in addressing scope 1 (direct, in-house) and scope 2 (purchased energy) emissions, in­direct emissions occurring in the supply chain (scope 3) continue to pose a challenge.¹

Given the complexity of the device development process, it is crucial that manufacturers take a holistic, “cradle-to-grave” ap­proach to sustainability, based on an understanding of the mul­tiple complex factors that contribute to the environmental impact of drug delivery devices. This is where methodologies such as life-cycle assessment (LCA) can provide valuable, data-driven insight into opportunities for reducing environmental im­pact across the global value chain and, as per ISO14040, “throughout a product’s life cycle from raw material acquisition through produc­tion, use, end-of-life treatment, recycling and final disposal.”²

FROM FRAMEWORK TO PRACTICAL TOOL

To harness the value of this comprehensive yet notoriously complex methodology, Owen Mumford worked with a leading LCA consultancy to develop a life-cycle-based eco-design tool de­tailed enough to provide meaningful analysis yet simple enough to be used by personnel who are not Lifecycle Assessment experts.

Using this tool, it is possible to autonomously model the en­vironmental impact of products across seventeen categories, in­cluding water and land use, climate change, and fossil and mineral resources, taking into account potential damage to ecosystems, human health, or resource availability.

Product manufacturing, supply chain and distribution char­acteristics including component weights, material choice and sup­ply, manufacturing location, transportation, and end-of-life scenarios, are entered into the tool, which then calculates an es­timated impact score for each category. This score can then be easily communicated across departments to improve understand­ing and ensure that product design prioritizes sustainability at every level.

AVOIDING SUSTAINABILITY PITFALLS

Scenarios comparing different prod­uct concepts and configurations can then be produced to evaluate the impact of each change, maximizing sustainability whilst preventing unintended negative consequences at other points of the supply chain. It is then possible to assess whether or not changing specific product charac­teristics ultimately improves or worsens the overall LCA score, allowing informed de­cision making early in the development process.

In concrete terms, sustainable drug delivery device development means strik­ing a balance between product longevity and the manufacturing and distribution footprint. Whilst the use of more robust materials to ensure a longer product life and better reusability may seem the obvi­ous choice, in reality, the increased weight, manufacturing energy and material use involved may outweigh the environmental benefits.

Similarly, moving away from tradi­tional medical polymers in favor of renew­able raw materials like bioplastics may not be the straightforward sustainable choice it seems. A recent analysis highlighted the importance of taking into consideration factors such as the choice of feedstock, land use, energy consumption, and waste management practices when assessing the benefits of these alternatives to fossil-based feedstocks.³

Using renewable energy is another key strategy for sustainable design. But it is not as simple as whether a supplier re­ports using renewable energy – the finan­cial mechanism underlying how the energy is obtained can also be taken into account to evaluate whether purchasing from the supplier will result in further investment in renewable energy generation. In terms of sustainability, on-site renewable energy generation and direct power purchase agreements (PPAs) are preferable to sleeved or virtual PPAs, supported by re­newable energy certificates.

CHALLENGING THE STATUS QUO

The highly regulated nature of the medical device industry has traditionally been an obstacle to more obvious routes to sustainability. Safety and reliability are paramount, and any modifications to improve sustainability must not negatively impact these parameters. Manufacturers are limited, for example, in the materials they may use, which must be rigorously tested ‘medical grade’ options and often prohibited from incorporating recycled materials into new devices at the point of manufacture.

Nevertheless, disruptive thinking and innovative new approaches can reveal op­portunities to reduce environmental im­pacts at every phase of the product life cycle. And this can mean working with pharmaceutical companies to adapt the delivery device design brief, for example to change the intended drug formulation to a lyophilized drug product that can be recombined through the device at the point of administration. The potential en­vironmental benefits of the resulting in­crease in shelf life and stability extend throughout the supply chain.⁴

Comparing the environmental impact of different end-of-life scenarios with LCA can also provide the data needed to back up early decision-making on recycling methods, and encourage fresh thinking on how products can best be cycled. While highest-value recycling (ie, the product is re-used in the same or similar applica­tions) is usually the aim, the processing in­volved may mean this is not the most sustainable option overall. If this is the case, reviewing the LCA results may prompt the product design to be simpli­fied, making the product cheaper and eas­ier to recycle as components (“next best” point of value) or raw materials (“least best”).

BENEFITS FROM CRADLE TO GRAVE

In many cases, design changes made as a result of LCA yield additional benefits. Optimizing size and weight not only down­sizes the carbon impact of packaging and distribution, but can also reduce manufac­turing emissions related to mass and processes. Simplifying product design streamlines manufacturing and encourage users to dispose of the product correctly in­stead of simply throwing it away – not to mention the potential improvements to user experience.

In an era where sustainability is not just a goal but a necessity, LCA has the po­tential to reshape how the pharmaceutical industry approaches this multifaceted issue. By embracing this holistic approach, the industry can address complex chal­lenges, reduce its ecological footprint, and align with global sustainability goals. Ulti­mately, LCA is not just a tool for compli­ance or cost-saving; it is a pathway to a more sustainable future in healthcare, benefitting not only the environment but also manufacturers, healthcare systems, and patients alike.

REFERENCES

1. Booth A, Jager A, Faulkner SD, Winchester CC, Shaw SE. Pharmaceutical Company Targets and Strategies to Address Climate Change: Content Analysis of Public Reports from 20 Pharmaceutical Companies. Interna­tional Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2023; 20(4):3206. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043206.
2. https://www.iso.org/standard/37456.html.
3. Yadav K, Nikalje GC. Comprehensive analysis of bioplastics: life cycle assessment, waste management, biodiversity impact, and sustainable mitigation strategies. PeerJ. 2024;12:e18013. Published 2024 Sep 11. doi:10.7717/peerj.18013.
4. Broughton. (2023). Lyophilized products: The benefits of freeze drying to increase product shelf-life and stability. https://www.broughton-group.com/blog/lyophilized-products-the-benefits-of-freeze-drying-to-increase-product-shelf-life-and-stability#:~:text=It_involves_freezing_a_product,primary_drying%2C_and_secondary_drying.

Alex Fong, MBA, is an experienced senior manager in the Insight, Analytics and Strategy fields. He has applied these skills in a broad range of Industries including the FMCG/CPG, tourism, Investment banking, telecoms and management consulting sectors. For the last 8 years Alex has been leading the market research drive at Owen Mumford, with an ever-increasing focus on sustainability.