Pharma finds means to go green

Serious tools are becoming available for manufacturers serious about sustainability. Applications and software to help measure sustainability are now offered by SAP, which has launched a sustainability-tracking application using its previously launched BusinessObjects sustainability performance management application.

The application serves multiple purposes, says ARC Advisory, including risk management and cost savings calculations. It also helps companies with the first step of any sustainability initiative: establishing a carbon footprint baseline.

ARC says that much about drug making's processes--with their emphasis on safety, efficacy and quality--is traditionally at odds with environmental friendliness. But that can be overcome, perhaps even profitably.

Amylin Pharmaceuticals has been successful at making sustainability a priority, the consultancy says, and has become certified in meeting the requirements of the ISO 4001:2004 standard in corporate environmental management. Likewise, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Baxter, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer and Schering-Plough have also bought tickets on the sustainability express.

- here's the ARC item