The conference’s Sustainability and Substances of Concern track will feature 12 presentations. The track program has been designed to cover topics than span across the entire sustainability journey. Attendees will benefit from learning about:
- Sustainability as a competitive advantage: The link between sustainability and innovation, which can yield a competitive advantage for companies—with high-level examples of initiatives companies are taking to embrace sustainability
- Substances of concern: Insights into regulatory guidelines and evolving expectations, that are driving the industry toward more sustainable practices
- Water savings: Water management approaches and best practices to help achieve sustainability goals
- CO2 and a decarbonized future: Collaboration opportunities between manufacturers, engineering companies, and suppliers to accelerate net-zero pathways
The 2026 ISPE Europe Annual Conference will also feature a sustainability-focused interactive forum on Monday, 20 April, entitled “Building a Sustainability Culture in Life Sciences Companies” with Roger Ouimet with CAI, co-lead of ISPE’s Sustainability Community of Practice (CoP) Subcommittee on Disclosure, Organization, and Culture, and Eric Unrau with CRB, a steering committee member of ISPE’s Process Analytical Technology CoP.
Innovation and competitiveness: Matt Popkin, PhD, with GSK will provide an in-depth overview of the link between sustainability, competitiveness, and innovation. The presentation will be about building the future sustainable medicines and manufacturing in an uncertain world.
Introduction to the new ISPE Guide: Sustainability: A session with Ester Lovsin Barle, PhD, with Takeda and Chair of the ISPE Sustainability CoP, and Ouimet will explore key topics from the new ISPE Guide: Sustainability, focusing on how the life sciences industry can embrace sustainability, foster a sustainability culture, and set meaningful goals. The presentation will share high-level examples of initiatives companies can undertake.
Successful business cases: Christian Laverreda with Syntegon will share insights from the work of the Circular Economy sub-committee of the Sustainability CoP. The session will highlight successful business cases for sustainability initiatives related to energy efficiency, waste reduction, or green chemistry. Lavarreda will offer practical guidance on developing compelling business cases for sustainability initiatives in pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Substances of concern: Kirsty Reid with EFPIA will present on navigating regulatory expectations and political momentum in the EU about substances of concern in the pharma sector, including PFAS. Then Alessandro Viola with IPS will cover recent scientific advances in understanding nitrosamines formation, the evolving regulatory landscape, including the US Food and Drug Administration’s 2025 compliance deadline and practical mitigation strategies. Using real-world examples and process engineering insights, he will address risks associated with raw materials, solvents, and water systems. Then, Sarah Sambolich with Abzena will present the proposed alternatives to fluorine in PFAS.
Water management: Dijana Hadziselimovic with STERIS will talk about strategic modifications to traditional cleaning methods that can lead to more sustainable processes. Then Paddy MacGabhann with Hyde Engineering and Consulting will share specific case studies highlighting the environmental benefits, along with the scientific and engineering principles essential for successful clean-in-place (CIP) optimization and the delivery of meaningful sustainability and productivity improvements. Finally, a session presented by Katarzyna Grudnik and Gregory Lepak with Fluor will cover practical applications of the 3R strategy: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle in areas like cell culture and microbial fermentation, water production systems, and CIP operations. The presenters will explain how to integrate water sustainability into biomanufacturing without affecting product quality or compliance.
CO2 and decarbonized future: Jochen Schmidt-Nawrot with CRB will present on how to raise the benchmark in sustainable pharmaceutical water treatment, sharing an innovative solution that balances operational efficiency with regulatory compliance. A subsequent presentation from Fritz Röder, Director – Site Account Engineer, Merck Healthcare KGaA, will focus on the practical evolution of clean utilities for a decarbonized future. Real-world case studies throughout the track will also highlight successful sustainability initiatives, providing practical examples and lessons learned.
The goal of this year's Sustainability and Substances of Concern track is to inspire and equip industry professionals with the knowledge and tools needed to adopt sustainable practices, ultimately contributing to the global effort for a sustainable future.
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