ACVmed: UBE and its partners launch a pilot project to decarbonise medicines production in Dijon
On 4 June, Université Bourgogne Europe, École de Biologie Industrielle, Santenov Dijon Bourgogne and Delpharm Dijon launched ACVmed, a pilot project aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of a drug manufacturing process. Ultimately, the method developed could be replicated on a larger scale to enable the healthcare sector to significantly reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
According to The Shift Project, the healthcare sector accounts for around 8% of the national carbon footprint, 57% of which is directly linked to healthcare products (medicines, medical devices, medical gases and waste).
To meet the Paris Agreement targets by 2050, a profound transformation is required, combining a major industrial shift with a fundamental change in the supply and demand for healthcare.
There are currently two main approaches to assessing a product’s carbon footprint:
- Monetary emission factors: this method, which is partial and approximate, provides an estimate of the order of magnitude of a product’s carbon content based on the purchase price of a product or service
- Life cycle assessment (LCA): a more precise method, this involves measuring all the physical and energy flows required to manufacture a product, from the extraction of raw materials through to its use and end-of-life (waste treatment)
As part of this initiative, the institutions of UBE and École de Biologie Industrielle, in collaboration with the Delpharm Dijon site, will develop methods and measurement and analysis tools to be applied to a specific case study involving a drug manufacturing process proposed by the Dijon-based pharmaceutical contract manufacturer.
The results obtained will enable the design of educational content aimed at training the industrial site’s in-house teams.
In a second phase, this training may be extended to other audiences, notably students from partner institutions and professionals at other pharmaceutical production sites.
“ACVmed is a pioneering pilot project: it will form the foundation upon which we will roll out the practical solutions and training programme developed, with a view to covering all healthcare products as part of DecarboMED — our ‘school of decarbonisation’ project for the healthcare sector, which is a candidate in the regionalised France 2030 call for projects. ”
Vincent Thomas, President of UBE
“Launched in partnership with UBE, EBI and our member organisation Delpharm Dijon, ACVmed is a flagship project demonstrating Santenov’s ability to mobilise our community to trial practical solutions that address the major challenge of decarbonising our healthcare products industry, one of our cluster’s strategic priorities.”
Pascal Auzière, President of Santenov Dijon Bourgogne
Drawing on life-cycle analysis, the partners are laying the foundations for a sustainable transformation of pharmaceutical production, with a clear objective: to significantly reduce the healthcare sector’s carbon footprint.