Bayer And Kuehne+Nagel: Leading the Way in Supply Chain Sustainability

The net zero targets have never been more important to us, so is the ever-growing need to reduce Scope 3 emissions which take up the bulk of pharmaceutical firms’ carbon footprints. As more and more of them step up to integrate sustainability as a concept and embedded practice in their supply chain processes, there is an increasing pressure to align its principles with internal operations such as supplier relationships and their code of conduct.

Sustainability in the pharmaceutical industry is more than just reducing environmental footprint and embracing alternative sources for packaging materials in drug products. It is an imperative that must be embraced by healthcare professionals so that quality controls and assessments are carried out to ensure drugs are not only effective but safe and sustainable for consumption in patients.

The way forward is not just to raise our sense of awareness around the growing importance of ESG and its underlying objectives , but rather solidify our commitment to sustainability by navigating the complexities behind harsh regulatory guidelines whilst reducing environmental impact and overseeing supplier performance.

In this exclusive Q&A interview, Swapna Shetye, Regional Procurement Manager APAC from Bayer, and Jon Chapman, Global Vice President of Health Services in Kuehne Nagel, share their insights on:

• The increasing role of procurement to strengthen supplier coordination by adopting a four-step approach in monitoring their practices: awareness, identification, assessment, evaluation!
• Balancing sustainability and costs by integrating such practices into your operations that will encourage energy optimisation and push for more cost-savings opportunities!
• Think: consolidation and reduction! Optimising transportation routes and miles flown to bring medicinal drugs to various distribution centres and then for patients.
• Moving away from plastic production: how do we ensure drugs are stored in environmental-friendly packaging whilst adhering to high standards (to meet the dire needs of patients across the world)?