Sustainability framework for pharmaceutical manufacturing (PM): A review of research landscape and implementation barriers for circular economy transition

Abstract

Emulating the positive developments of consumer products manufacturing industries, the pharmaceutical manufacturing (PM) industry is also leaning towards sustainable manufacturing. Expectations are on the rise to lower the undesirable impacts on the earth ecosystem caused by the manufacturing companies via new circular economy implementation. The current sustainable practices of PM industry focus largely on waste mitigation, rather than closing the resource loops through adopting the concept of circular economy. Academic studies are mainly concentrated on chemistry research in PM industry, while a systematic framework to guide the implementation of circular economy concept is missing.In this paper, we use the 9R framework to illustrate the latest circular economy model, and introduce an adapted 9R (PM9R) framework that is catered for the PM industry. We attempt to (a) use the PM9R framework to review academic research in sustainable PM; (b) conduct literature mining and critical analysis according to “short loop”, “medium loop” and “long loop” systems; (c) highlight the risks that hinder the progression of academic solutions to industry practices and the impact of PM9R application; and (d) illustrate new circular economy avenues for future research in sustainable PM. The finding of this paper show that “short loop” is the prime research focus, emphasizing in the area of alternative chemistry in new PM production design and planning. However, the mismatch between research focus and the practical needs in existing PM processes is the risk that hinder the transition of academic solutions to industry practices. Pharmaceutical companies, academia, and regulatory authorities should work closely in an ecosystem to mitigate the barriers in upscaling study, regulations and intellectual property ownership issues.