New data shared at My Green Lab’s session, Leading Through Change: Pharma’s Climate Commitment Amid ESG Headwinds, shows that major biotech and pharmaceutical companies are achieving year-on-year emissions reductions and expanding lab sustainability efforts, even as value chain reporting grows more complex. The session also previewed findings from My Green Lab’s forthcoming Carbon Impact of Biotech and Pharma report, which examines emissions intensity and target-setting across the sector. Led by My Green Lab CEO James Connelly and joined by speakers from Sanofi and Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the briefing highlighted measurable progress in Scope 1, 2, and 3 reduction efforts and reinforced the central role of laboratory operations in meeting emissions goals.
Connelly noted consistent improvements among leading companies. “We’re starting to see year-on-year reductions of carbon impact for both Scope 1 and 2 … about a five percent average reduction,” he said. Scope 3 reductions have been even more pronounced: “We’ve actually seen 10 percent reductions on an annual basis from Scope 3.” He added that “over 50 percent—52 percent to be exact—now have targets aligned with a 1.5-degree world.”
Improved Scope 3 reporting strengthens climate planning across the value chain
Shashank Manjunath, senior product manager at ICE, outlined how data quality and disclosure are evolving across the global companies ICE tracks. “We’ve seen improvements in the quality of disclosure of Scope 3 emissions … nearly 65 percent of companies reporting all 15 categories or the most material categories,” he said.
He also emphasized that biotech and pharma continue to report comparatively low emissions intensities relative to other sectors. “Biotech and pharmaceuticals have one of the lowest intensities … This has been consistently observed over the last few years,” he explained. This shift reflects stronger reporting practices and increased attention to value chain emissions.
Industrywide, about 80 percent of pharma’s Scope 3 emissions originate from purchased goods and services, making procurement and laboratory purchasing decisions a major lever for progress.
Sanofi’s lab sustainability strategy links facility upgrades and scientist engagement
Sanofi described how it integrates sustainability within its R&D operations, emphasizing the importance of aligning facility management, scientific workflows, and product development. Dagmar Traxler, head of R&D planet care, underscored why these efforts matter to the organization: “We believe that we can only have healthy patients through a healthy planet.” She also noted that “from 2025, 100 percent of our new products in the pipeline go through an eco-design process,” reflecting how environmental considerations influence upstream design decisions.
This approach spans facility upgrades, reductions in non-scientific process impacts, and close involvement from scientific teams across R&D. Traxler highlighted R&D’s significant contribution to Sanofi’s overall sustainability roadmap, making team engagement essential for measurable reductions.
Pharma supply chain sustainability gains structure with new supplier requirements
Ninel Raven Armada, Sanofi’s head of procurement excellence and transformation, addressed the challenges of driving reductions across complex, multi-tiered supply chains. “Our value chains are very complex … and understanding them is challenging,” she said, noting differences in data availability, calculation methods, and maturity levels among suppliers.
Despite this complexity, Sanofi has elevated environmental performance in supplier evaluations. “ESG is now one of the biggest—if not the biggest—contributors to our supplier scoring,” Armada said. She added that emissions-related expectations are now embedded directly into supplier agreements: “We put those targets in contract and we follow through.”
The company’s participation in My Green Lab’s Converge initiative is intended to help suppliers adopt similar lab sustainability practices, creating more consistent expectations across its value chain and supporting reductions beyond internal operations.
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What lab managers should know about emissions data and certification programs
For lab managers, the briefing highlights several operational trends:
- Lab energy use, equipment management, and procurement selections directly influence emissions performance
- Certification frameworks such as My Green Lab support structured engagement between scientists, facilities teams, and procurement
- Supplier sustainability expectations are becoming more formalized and can now appear in selection criteria and contractual terms
- Companies are emphasizing measurable laboratory-level reductions as part of broader climate strategies
As companies refine emissions reporting and deepen their focus on value chain impacts, laboratory managers will continue to play a central role in implementing practical, measurable improvements across research and development environments.
This article was created with the assistance of Generative AI and has undergone editorial review before publishing.
