Climate action in the pharma industry: a benchmarking

Climate change and the pharmaceutical industry

In 2021, the pharmaceutical industry received unprecedented attention from the global public. But while the successes in vaccine development have been celebrated, pharmaceutical companies are coming under increasing pressure in another area: climate action.

Research shows that the pharmaceutical industry's emissions intensity is about 55% higher compared to the automotive industry. On average, pharmaceutical companies emit significantly more greenhouse gases per euro of turnover than car manufacturers.

However, emissions vary considerably (up to five times) between businesses with comparable turnover. Our benchmarking shows which players are leading the way - and what these companies are doing differently.

The benchmarking

We examined more than 30 of its leading companies to find out how the pharmaceutical industry is positioned in the area of climate action. Based on publicly available databases and sustainability reports, we analysed how these companies position themselves in five key areas - and how they are preparing for the future.

The market research this benchmarking is based upon was conducted in November 2021. The actual date for individual company research may vary within the month of November. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions regarding the benchmarking.