Angelini Pharma announced this summer the launch of LIFE-GREENAPI, an ecological transition initiative at the Aprilia plant thanks to which the company’s active ingredients will be produced in a more efficient but above all more ecological and innovative way. The LIFE Programme, a European Commission instrument that finances projects to benefit the environment and actions to combat climate change, has guaranteed funding of 1.5 million euros.
The technology through which Angelini Pharma will redesign the API production process is flow chemistry technology. By reducing waste and waste production, a series of environmental benefits will be obtained such as greater energy and water efficiency and an improved safety profile. In fact, Angelini has long been committed to reducing the environmental impact of its products throughout their entire life cycle.
Unfortunately, it is known that the pharmaceutical industry produces higher emissions than other industrial sectors. “Our industry must adopt a radical shift in its approach to sustainability if it is to fulfill its shared social responsibility to limit its impact on the climate. LIFE-GREENAPI represents a key initiative within Angelini Pharma’s green transition strategy, and I firmly believe that it can inspire and encourage the entire European pharmaceutical sector to fully include environmental sustainability in its production processes”, are the words of Enrico Giaquinto, Chief Industrial Operations Officer of Angelini Pharma.
The LIFE-GREENAPI initiative has a duration of three years and will see a collaboration with the Institute of Environmental Sciences of Leiden University (the Netherlands), which will monitor the environmental impact of the program through a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA, a method used to evaluate the environmental impact associated with all phases of the life cycle of a given product, process or commercial service) and an approach based on risk analysis.
“Life Cycle Assessment is a key methodology for “sustainability by design”, an important theme in the European Union Green Deal. We will apply LCA in LIFE-GREENAPI to evaluate Angelini Pharma’s innovations in Fine Chemicals production processes and the related environmental benefits. Remaining in close contact with the company, we will work on a continuous and iterative study of the system, from the laboratory to the pre-commercial phase,” said Stefano Cucurachi, Associate Professor of Industrial Ecology at Leiden University.
Fine Chemicals Plant Director Leonardo Moro stated that to achieve the goal of net zero emissions by 2050 it will be necessary to integrate the optimization of resources and emissions and the partial reshoring of the supply of active pharmaceutical ingredients, raw materials and of the production of semi-finished products.
