How Creating Sustainable Initiatives in Life Sciences Benefits Companies and Society

Sustainability is increasingly becoming a more important topic that companies are facing and sustainable solutions are being discussed more regularly by company leadership. Governments and businesses around the world are trying to lower the impact on the environment, but sustainability also helps prepare companies to respond better to volatility created by unpredictable challenges.

The life sciences market has become more unpredictable in the past couple of years. Take the COVID-19 pandemic: which created new challenges (and opportunities) for organisations everywhere. The uncertainties remain to this day, thanks to fluctuating lockdown measures and restrictions. Add in environmental and political disruption and life science companies can find themselves constantly on a precarious edge of uncertainty.?

For life science companies, prioritising improvements to patient engagement and accessibility has been key, but the unfortunate side effect of the necessary shifts in focus has resulted in them having to postpone the implementation of their sustainability goals.?

The time has come though to re-evaluate and re-prioritise these goals, supported by the positives that have developed in the last few years - including the acceleration of digital transformation and technological advancements.?

Companies that take sustainable measures now can significantly reduce future costs and risks and simultaneously increase their value. When sustainability is at the centre of the business strategy, companies are better prepared to deal with uncertain times. We support our clients by helping them find the right professionals in niche sectors that can help you reach your sustainability goals and create sustainable value for your company, society, and the environment.

The benefits of sustainable solutions in Life Sciences.

There is a complex range of environmental issues facing the life sciences industry, from increased regulatory pressures to increased resource consumption. Enhanced awareness among consumers has led life sciences companies to acknowledge the urgent need for sustainability, set goals, and sketch an innovative plan to attain them. Furthermore, life sciences companies are already heavily regulated. As governments are tightening regulations on carbon emissions and more, the life sciences industry faces more regulations and restrictions than ever, like those placed on the use of antibiotics and insecticides.

Furthermore, the life sciences industry emits a large amount of greenhouse gas. Key environmental protection challenges include high energy consumption, global supply chains, environmental pollution in connection with the production of pharmaceutical products and large quantities of packaging waste.

The generally accepted?definition of sustainability ?is: “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” How this definition converts into achievable, practical goals for the life sciences industry will inevitably vary depending on the part of the world, areas of industry focus, and the company’s leadership.

A move to sustainability doesn’t mean installing a few solar panels on the roof and being done. A true commitment requires that a company creates sustainable strategies that are engrained through the product, process, and fabrication. Properly implementing a sustainable plan can provide long-term financial gains. Adjusting production and supply chains to lower these emissions is beneficial to the environment, but enhances value as well.

A move to sustainable options is therefore not to be seen in a negative light. In general, the drive toward sustainable options has been considered to be a benefit to the life sciences industry, although many companies face short-term pain to achieve long-term gain. It can take a considerable investment to form and implement sustainable options for processes and buildings. When implemented, the results can provide lasting advantages, like process and operational improvements, reduction of risks, upgraded environments, and cost savings due to increased efficiency and cheaper facility operations. Finally, there’s the benefit of the positive effect on the community and employees due to cleaner and more sustainable operations.

Steps towards sustainability

The first step towards sustainability is often rethinking packaging. For example, Pfizer is supporting a?recycling program for one of its brands , which has resulted in 60% of all packaging being returned to its recycling centre. Using new technologies, such as robotic arms empowered with smart vision, RFID, printable electronics, drones, etc. are used to optimize packaging spaces, while also ensuring more accurate tracking during the supply chain journey. You can read more about the latest technologies in supply chains in our article?here .

And that’s how the formidable goal of net-zero emissions by 2050 can be reached, by continuously keeping exploring, innovating, and implementing new practices into core processes, like manufacturing and supply chains. Sustainable strategies help to achieve successful outcomes and be better prepared for future disruptions, political or environmental.

Although sustainability issues are complex, we can and should commit to the premise of sustainable design, construction, implementation, and operation in the pharma industry.

Attracting Life Sciences professionals.

The market is moving fast, and companies need to adapt to the speed of the market. We see a tendency for companies to continue business as usual, missing significant opportunities to adapt to new technologies, achieve sustainable goals, and move with the market. To move forward, organisations must attract professionals who are capable of implementing sustainable strategies. Companies that are succeeding in attracting new talent are moving fast. They are closing gaps and cutting down on processes.

Enhancing sustainability requires cross-disciplinary expertise and a high level of coordination to lead to sustainable value creation. Amoria Bond assists companies by finding the right experts for these positions using proven methodologies and providing a wide array of services.

What Amoria Bond does to help is adopt new practices to speed up the hiring process of highly skilled industry professionals. Our teams have outstanding industry knowledge and will work with you to find the best person to fulfil your next life sciences position. However, our job is not just to find and place talented professionals. We offer specialised recruitment services that encompass much more: From market and competitive analysis to optimising the entire recruitment process, we cover the entire cycle that a new hire requires. Ultimately, all these aspects contribute to reducing your recruitment time, lowering your recruitment costs and improving the overall quality of the process.

We’re proud of our reputation and track record for delivering quality, relevant professionals. Find out more about our recruitment and staffing services and how we can help you.

So don't hesitate, contact?my team ?and?me? today to learn more about our specialised?recruitment services.

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By @Anne Jeraie Padre Bien