ESG in Pharma: A Commitment to Sustainability

Recently, it has become increasingly common to talk about strategies that companies are incorporating into their compliance and improvement plans, such as concepts of sustainability performance, which include social responsibility, environment protection, and corporate governance, otherwise known as environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors. These factors must be incorporated as part of the organization in which we participate as associates, bosses, or owners, with the aim of having a reference for our socially responsible investment.

As both as individuals and as companies, we are part of several civil organizations, such as the Colegio Nacional de Químicos Farmacéuticos Biólogos México AC., Cámara Suiza-Mexicana de Comercio e Industria AC. (Swiss-Mexican Chamber), and Baja’s Medical Device Cluster’s Asociación de Productos Médicos de California, AC., among others. At each of these organizations, there is a clear tendency to promote the development of members, such that programs for growth and improvement that can generate an impact on the three ESG factors can be consolidated. 

It's for these reasons that we first must face and recognize the reality within our own companies in order to understand where we can start from and where we want to go. 

Our company, T5DC, started operating in 1994 with the objective of covering necessities related to automated cleaning operations. Our criteria was to make cleaning cycles more efficient, substituting manual cleaning in the pharma industry in consideration of cleaning cycle validation, saving substantial consumption of water — potable and purified — as well as using highly efficient cleaning agents capable of generating excellent results at very low concentrations, which can also be friendly for the environment — in other words, non-contaminating and that do not generate foam.

We were later identified as a professional company that was highly involved in the cleaning processes at pharmaceutical plants; hence, we were recommended to promote a line of Total Organic Carbon Analyzers (TOCs), as the analytical test of the TOCs entered the global pharmacopoeias as a compulsory test for the analysis of purified and water for injection (PW & WFI). TOCs were also identified as the quickest and most viable control process to confirm whether production equipment, materials and/or utensils in pharma facilities had been adequately cleaned after a cleaning process, to avoid generating cross contamination between lots of different products and in compliance with one of the golden rules of the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs).

For 15 years, our company has taken operational action to reduce our consumption of energy and water. This includes integrating solar panels in all our work areas, replacing equipment and daily use materials requiring high energy and water consumption, and retiring energy-intensive equipment with a high carbon footprint.

We replaced all our company cars, which are frequently used by our associates and despite their low gas consumption, with hybrids. Other actions implemented included the classification and separation of residuals and garbage, so these can be reused or recycled. Finally, we are initiating our participation in circular economy projects, integrating our glass residues as reusable material in projects for the development of new concrete by a company that produces these materials in Mexico. 

As for social responsibility, we have worked on gathering toys to donate to hostels for high-risk children, and delivering clothing and blankets to nursing homes. We are fully aware of these areas, in which we could do more, with the support of our associates.

However, we also see the need to review the status of ESG strategies from all the manufacturing teams that we partner with in Mexico, and we have confirmed that practically all have implemented social and environmental responsibility programs, such that each of our manufacturers undertake actions directed toward improving social and sustainability conditions in favor of our planet: 

• Sievers Analytical Instruments' Veolia Water Technologies & Solutions division, whom we have worked with since 1996 by promoting their Total Organic Carbon and Conductivity instruments and, in recent years, the ECLIPSE (Bacterial Endotoxin Testing) and SOLEIL (Bioburden Analyzer), have developed these analytical instruments with the aim of minimizing energy consumption, minimizing the occupied space by the instruments in work areas, and utilizing consumable materials that can be recycled. 

• Borer Chemie A.G., Swiss manufacturer of cleaning chemical agents, has developed an important range of products in the life science and industry divisions, ensuring that these chemical agents are environmentally friendly, are utilized in low consumption, and have low foam generation to reduce the impact on sewage waters. Further, it has developed neutral cleaning agent kits to carry out what typically were aggressive processes of deoxidation (derouging) and passivation, and hence do not generate risks for operators, or generate a substantial impact on sewage water discharge, which will return to the environment. 
• Dec Group, a Swiss manufacturer of equipment for the handling of powder containment applicable to various processes and industries, such as transport, dispensing, granulating, micronizing, mixing, and dosing. The concept implies avoiding by all means that the powder is dispersed into the environment, avoiding risks of cross-contamination in products, ill effects on operators, and equipment damage. These technologies reduce any risk factor via contamination of residues in work areas and, finally, in the air we all breathe. 
• Pharmalab India Pvt Ltd., a manufacturer of autoclaves, GMP washing machines, and ultrapure water and pure vapor systems, among others, has implemented a comprehensive water harvesting system at its manufacturing facility in Ahmedabad, India, as part of its commitment to environmental stewardship. This initiative helps conserve water, reduce dependence on conventional sources, and promotes long-term sustainability, reflecting eco-conscious practices that support the environment and also positively impact the surrounding community. Additionally, it has integrated IE3 motors to reduce its energy consumption and carbon footprint, aligning with global climate change efforts and confirming its commitment to environmental protection while contributing to a low-carbon economy.  
• Miele Industrial Division, a German company that has pioneered the development of technologies and equipment for home appliance use. Miele developed its Industrial Division, which houses the automated cleaning equipment for laboratories that we distribute in the central region of Mexico. The design of its equipment is fully aimed toward reducing energy and water consumption, and in combination with Borer chemical agents, are the equipment of choice for these processes.
• Burdinola Safer Labs, a Spanish company that manufactures laboratory furniture and high-efficiency vapor extraction hoods that are required in all analytical laboratories for many industries. The seal in its furniture and equipment includes flexibility, safety, eco-design, and sustainability. We promote them within the Mexican pharma market.

We now must ask ourselves: Are we contributing our bit toward accomplishing the ESG strategies in favor of social responsibility and the environment of our planet?