The Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Initiative (PSCI) and Accenture are pleased to announce the publication of the Decarbonization Playbook for the Pharmaceutical Industry (Playbook), an actionable playbook to guide pharmaceutical companies and their suppliers on the road to net zero.

Climate change poses the greatest health threat of the 21st century and the pharmaceutical industry is a key contributor to global emissions due to complex product lifecycles and an energy-intensive value chain.
Many pharmaceutical companies have set ambitious, science-based decarbonization goals but only 20% of life sciences companies are on track to achieve net zero by 2050. Advancing decarbonization can be slow as companies wrestle with various pain points across the product lifecycle but delays in decarbonizing expose companies to risks across the stakeholder landscape. Decarbonizing the pharmaceutical industry is a core component of the PSCI’s Environment Principle and PSCI members realize the importance of working together and with their suppliers across the whole value chain.

"We are thrilled to be collaborating with the PSCI, the leading nonprofit membership organization for pharmaceutical companies focused on sustainability across the global value chain. The PSCI Decarbonization Team provided critical feedback and validation to ensure the Playbook would provide pharmaceutical companies with a valuable resource for implementing decarbonization initiatives,” said Jessica Wolff, Health Sustainability Lead for Accenture.

There have been several whitepapers published on the topic of health sector decarbonization. This Playbook builds on that work to provide 24 detailed emissions reduction initiatives across 7 impact areas that map to the drug development lifecycle. The initiatives were assessed in terms of addressability, emission reduction potential, implementation timeline, upfront cost, and regulatory complexity, and intervention adoption timeframe.

The Playbook provides a double-click into each initiative looking at the value, challenges, getting started, and resources. Recognizing the complexity of the pharmaceutical industry, the Playbook also includes a section on six critical organizational capabilities necessary for successful activation of the initiatives.

"We are excited to share this action-focused resource with the industry,” said Lucy Pickett, Co-Lead of the PSCI Decarbonization Team. “The Playbook goes beyond identifying the challenges and opportunities; its deep analysis of interventions will help pharmaceutical companies in choosing how and when to implement initiatives to make real progress in their decarbonization journeys."

To download the Playbook, click here.

About PSCI
The PSCI is the leading association for pharmaceutical and healthcare companies. Through our three modes of impact – Audit, Capability and Projects – we work as one voice to deliver responsible value chains. Our vision is for excellence in safety, environmental, and social outcomes, across the global pharmaceutical and healthcare value chain. Our purpose is sector collaboration, using one voice to define, instil and drive responsible value chain practices.

About Accenture
Accenture is a global professional services company with leading capabilities in digital, cloud and security. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries, we offer Strategy and Consulting, Technology and Operations services and Accenture Song – all powered by the world’s largest network of Advanced Technology & Intelligent Operations centers. Our 721,000 people deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity every day, serving clients in more than 120 countries. We embrace the power of change to create value and shared success for our clients, people, shareholders, partners and communities. Visit us at accenture.com.