Choose France summit: GSK laboratory modifies its Ventoline to… reduce carbon emissions

The pharmaceutical industry continues its green transition. Thus, part of a major investment by several international laboratories in France, to be announced this Monday in Versailles during the 7th “Choose France” summit, is intended to decarbonize an industry that is both vital and highly polluting. Drug production and consumption actually account for 5% of France’s greenhouse gas emissions, compared with 4.4% of global net emissions, according to think tank The Shift Project.

Given this observation, sector players signed the first industry agreement in November. In addition to the commitment to establish a carbon footprint for each company, it plans to reduce direct carbon dioxide emissions by 50% by 2030 and indirect emissions by 25% compared to 2021.

Ventolin inhalers are harmful to the climate

AstraZeneca, for its part, hopes to achieve carbon neutrality at its site in Dunkirk (North) by 2026. The Anglo-Swedish group is due to announce a total investment of 365 million euros on Monday; part of which is to decarbonize their production lines. Many initiatives to reduce or capture greenhouse gases should bear fruit as early as next year. The new generation of inhalers should also reduce CO2 emissions by 1 million tons.

The GSK Group also follows this approach. This autumn, the English industrialist already announced that he would invest 350 million euros in his activities in France. To this amount will be added 140 million euros for production sites in Evreux (Hère), Saint-Amand-les-Eaux (Nord) and Mayenne (Mayenne).

Particular emphasis is placed on changing the way Ventolin, the company’s flagship asthma drug, is produced. The drug, used by 35 million patients worldwide, generates half of the group’s global emissions. The reason is the powder gas, which has now been replaced by another that is ten times less polluting. GSK has set a target of reducing carbon emissions by 80% by 2030 and by at least 90% by 2045.