GxP-Blog

A growing concern: eco sustainability in pharmaceutical buildings
Why eco sustainability in pharmaceuticals building no longer is a plus, but a must-have

With environmental issues like eco sustainability becoming more and more important, we are experiencing the rise of an industry that people once failed to take seriously—and fortunately they were quite mistaken in that point. Nowadays, it is not only a growing concern in many manufacturing industries, but a primary objective, and the pharma industry is no exception. Thankfully, there are more positive sides to the picture: facilities and operations that are designed to conserve resources like energy and water and counting on sustainable energy can not only improve a company’s “green” image, but also reduce its manufacturing costs from the beginning. And last but not least, there is a rising awareness concerning employees’ health and well-being in the workplace. In the meantime, there is no doubt that the usage of non-toxic materials (both in the product itself and in its use), fundamentally better air quality and the skillful use of lights will be beneficial all round. Reasons enough to look into the matter in the environment of eco sustainability.

The good news is: Such a change of mentality is definitely the key to a better future. Or in practice: In 2019, energy certifications of buildings are mandatory in order to operate legally on the purchase or rental market or simply to obtain a building permit. So we can summarize: There was an important development from (1.) a way of understanding life (in most cases it was a very subjective view) more “sustainable” to a (2.) need that is (3.) in the process of consolidation today, as no one is planning a new building with poor insulation, low efficiency outcome, or a wasteful use of water. To the contrary, as an increasingly limited and becoming more expensive resource, a careful use is the order of the day. It should go without saying that repurposing discharge water from pharma processes for other uses (e.g. cooling towers or building sanitation systems). As a matter of fact, people have become aware that “green” or sustainable construction has a profound impact on our natural environment, as well as on our economy, health and productivity—nearly an all-round talent so to say.

Nevertheless, enterprises that have exceptionally well-planned and built sustainable buildings are still only a handful in the pharmaceutical sector. Most R&D centers or headquarters of pharmaceutical plants still consider innovative and design components more important, despite all obvious advantages. These plants also usually prioritize above all compliance with the sector's own diverse regulations, as well as having installations that guarantee high reliability in the production process to ensure the quality of the final product. Clear, but not well thought through in the long term.

That is why, in this specific case of pharmaceutical plants, we are the ones who must be proactive with the client, must constantly play an influential and persuasive part, backed up by figures and not with glossy prints from marketing. That’s how we can overcome certain psychological barriers, which were firmly established in peoples’ heads over centuries, in order to apply more efficient measures. In addition, there still are a large number of regulatory and legal requirements that are already outdated. For example, regarding heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) installations, the pharmaceutical sector has its own regulation (GMP, own customer regulatory, ISPE guidelines, etc.)

As there is still quite a long way to go, we are convinced there is a need of applied solutions of sustainability and not only functional design which must go hand in hand with the different certification requirements. There once was a project of a pioneering R&D center worldwide, located in Barcelona, which implied a strong effort in the company to adapt the projects and the design mentality to the certification requirements (in this case LEED PLATINUM—Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. From this point on we continued to carry out "sustainable" projects with this client including a remodeling and expansion of an existing pharmaceutical plant and a logistics center.

Logically, all the technical solutions applied (e.g. regarding variable air movements controlled by CO2 sensors, smart lighting control or rain water use) in former projects have been applied in most of the projects carried out since then, even in those in which a certification is not required. But nevertheless it should be seen as a decisive asset because it is an added value for engineering pharma projects where energy consumption is an important part of the production cost. This experience in such highly complex technical and execution projects gives IPB and Chemgineering numerous advantages regarding in-depth sights, experiences and learning lessons.

But back to real life, to practice and to the subject certifications: Before acceptance of installations and the launching of the project, all parts involved need tools that are available to objectify the concept of sustainability. Luckily, from the moment that sustainability has become a sales argument and has woken general awareness and interest, it is necessary that there are some sorting and classification parameters, which allow to "reward" the most sustainable buildings (e.g. certified, silver, gold and platinum). In our case, most of the projects have been carried out in LEED, although we also have the capacity and accreditations to carry them out in other systems like DGNB, VERDE and BREEAM,…).

A World Green Building Council (WGBC) study quantifies the health and productivity benefits that sustainable buildings and offices have on their occupants. The numbers confirm that employees working in sustainable buildings have fewer sick leaves, suffer less stress, and can increase productivity by as much as 11%. Only adequate lighting can improve energy efficiency by up to 21%. In addition, it points out that improving access to natural lighting and outdoor views increases employee performance and reduces the incidence of certain pathologies. Other advantages of sustainable building are an increase in the perceived value of the property, an increase in the rental value, a better brand image, obtaining subsidies, etc.

Following the implementation of sustainable projects that had to be certifiable (LEED, DGNB...), there are also some technical solutions that can be applied without certification. For example: If we consider thermal insulation above what is required by legal regulations, high efficiency engines, rainwater collection for use in WC cisterns, enhancing natural lighting, lighting with different circuits and photosensitive or air conditioning are also depending on CO2 emission. These projects without being subjected to a certification process also benefit from efficient solutions. But: They wouldn’t be applied if all sides haven’t had that knowledge and awareness.