‘Living Lab’ Making Pharmaceuticals Greener in the UK and India
Some of the most impactful work happens across borders and across different domains and interests. Our friends over at Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) and Sattva Consulting shared an interesting example of how targeted research partnerships are helping the pharmaceutical sector in the United Kingdom and India decarbonise more quickly. To do so, they are adopting a model with global potential.
The pharmaceutical and chemical industry is at a crossroads. As global demand for medicines and key starting materials grow, so does the imperative to reduce its environmental footprint. Responsible for 4.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, the pharma and chemical industry face urgent pressure to innovate sustainable manufacturing solutions.
The UK-based Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) is aiming to be a part of the solution in partnership with the CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL) in India. Through the landmark UK-India Net Zero Innovation Partnership, they seek to decarbonise pharmaceutical manufacturing and build a greener, more efficient industry for the future.
A global challenge meets global collaboration
It is no coincidence that players in both countries choose to work together on this. India is the world's largest supplier of generic medicines, producing over 60% of global vaccines and supplying a quarter of all medicines in the UK. Its pharmaceutical and chemical industry is vital to global health but, like all sectors, must urgently address decarbonisation to meet global climate goals and rising international expectations. This includes reducing reliance on fossil-based raw materials and transitioning to cleaner energy sources.
In 2023, the industry contributed 7% to India’s GDP and emitted around 35 million tonnes of CO₂ eq , with the pharmaceutical sector accounting for 1% of India’s total Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Since a large share of production is exported, improving sustainability including Scope 3 emissions, is essential to meet both India’s net zero targets and the climate commitments of global export markets.
Reducing Scope 3 emissions (those occurring in a company’s value chain, outside its direct operations) is especially important for the industry, because they usually represent the largest share of total emissions. With the NHS targeting net zero emissions for scope 1 and 2 by 2040, scope 3 by 2045 and India committed to net zero by 2070, a collaborative approach is critical.
In response, CPI has partnered with CSIR-NCL to establish a cutting-edge 'Living Lab' in Pune, India. This joint effort, supported by the UK and Indian governments, provides a unique testbed for pharma companies to explore and de-risk sustainable manufacturing technologies. By sharing data and processes, partners accelerate the development and commercialisation of low-carbon, efficient methods that reduce greenhouse gases and boost productivity.
Driving innovation with continuous flow chemistry and solventfree manufacturing
The Living Lab focuses on two transformative technologies: continuous flow manufacturing and solvent-free chemistry.
Continuous flow manufacturing is widely recognised as a greener alternative to traditional batch processes and improves efficiency by running chemical reactions in a steady, controlled flow rather than in large, discrete batches. This method allows usually high exothermic reactions to take place that otherwise would be too dangerous in batch, along with reaction control and scalability while dramatically cutting waste and energy use.
Solvent-free manufacturing, including mechanochemistry, offers another leap forward by eliminating toxic, fossil fuel-derived solvents that contribute heavily to pharma's carbon footprint. Using physical grinding methods to trigger reactions without solvents, this approach significantly reduces hazardous waste and pollution.
These innovations are not just technical improvements, but directly support Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), 13 (Climate Action), and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). The SDGs are 17 interconnected global objectives set by the United Nations to achieve a fair, healthy, and sustainable world for all by 2030.
The Living Lab Phase 1 is currently fully operational and is being supported by government agencies, various industry partners engaged as core members, technology partners, and consortium members as well as the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance as a strategic partner. It is an excellent triple helix model showcasing industry-government-academia collaboration driven as a public-private partnership.
And its success hasn’t gone unnoticed. Following the successful demonstration in Living Lab Phase 1, there is strong industry interest to advance to Phase 2 and provide a unique end-end pilot scale platform that enables research and technology partners from the UK and India to translate and commercially deploy innovative technologies initially for the benefit of Indian pharma and the fine / specialty chemicals industry. Living Lab Phase 2 will accelerate innovation, reduce risk, and achieve sustainable growth, by providing a “sand box” to encourage the adoption of new innovation.
The final vision? To drive global transformation. Phase 2 aims to extend its reach beyond India and the UK, enabling worldwide adoption of sustainable, continuous manufacturing practices that redefine how medicines are made.
A sustainable manufacturing roadmap
Crucially, the model offered by CPI is scalable, offering all parties involved with a roadmap towards decarbonisation. It fosters collaboration through industry consortia involving pharma companies of all sizes, sharing insights and accelerating adoption of decarbonisation best practices. This collaborative approach strengthens the Indian pharma sector's move towards continuous, solvent-free processes that significantly reduce harmful emissions.
Participating companies also gain competitive advantages such as improved productivity, reduced costs and access to markets increasingly demanding sustainable supply chains. The Living Lab's collaborative model accelerates this transition, turning sustainability from a compliance challenge into an innovation opportunity.
Although the current collaboration is primarily between India and the UK, discussions are already underway with pharmaceutical companies that operate global facilities. The long-term goal is to connect the Global North and Global South, enabling the widespread adoption of these advanced, sustainable manufacturing technologies worldwide.
Empowering pharma companies to turn sustainability goals into action
Projects like the CPI collaboration with CSIR-NCL occupy a crucial place in the ongoing efforts in decarbonisation. By combining world-class technical expertise, state-of-the-art facilities and strong government and industry networks, CPI effectively empowers pharma companies to develop next-generation manufacturing processes that are both sustainable and commercially viable. As the industry moves towards a net zero future, CPI's Living Lab provides a unique platform to test, prove and scale breakthrough technologies.
Enabling these tried and tested solutions is a crucial step in uniting global efforts to not only advance sustainable innovation, but also to transform the future of medicine – not just for our own good, but for the good of the entire planet.
Stories like these will feature during Impact Week in Malmö, where CPI and Sattva Consulting will be participating the session Advancing Collaborative Science and Technology for Global Good: The Role of Philanthropy in Bridging Innovation Ecosystems on November 19th. Join them there and don't hesitate to reach out to them for more.