Tracking down emissions

With a concise analysis, Syntegon created transparency regarding energy consumption and CO2 emissions at the pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) Siegfried and comprehensively tested its methodology in practice.

Companies in the pharmaceutical and food industries produce for different markets but pursue one overarching goal: both sectors are increasingly aiming for resource efficiency and ecological processes. However, if technological and process-related adjustments are to succeed, companies need another important resource that is far less obvious than the systems and products themselves – data.

Siegfried AG, a pharmaceutical contract manufacturer based in Switzerland and with production sites in Germany, has focused on this resource and joined forces with Syntegon. The experts for processing and packaging technology developed their own calculation model based on so-called Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) and certified by TÜV Rheinland, a German association for technical inspection. The method allows the company to evaluate energy consumption and emissions during the entire life cycle of the machines from Syntegon’s portfolio.

A second calculation focused on the effects of modified production processes on CO₂ emissions. Instead of running several individual batches, the CDMO relies on so-called campaign filling, i. e. several batches in combination. The evaluation of the average times for individual and campaign batches reveals that Siegfried saves up to 20 percent in emissions during campaign operation. “Significantly reduced format changes and the one-off setting for campaign filling do the trick,” says Steffen Carbon, adding: “The LCA is not an end in itself but offers important guidance that companies can take into account when carefully planning and fulfilling regulatory requirements.”

“The LCA is not an end in itself but offers important guidance that companies can take into account when carefully planning and fulfilling regulatory requirements.” Steffen Carbon, coordinator for development methods at Syntegon