Emerging Leaders Editorial: From Kitchen to Pharma - Sustainability from Ancient Chinese Cuisine

Resource Mindfulness and Respect: Waste Less, Value More

Chinese cuisine embodies a “nose-to-tail” philosophy—every ingredient has purpose. Techniques like fermentation and precise drying preserve food and reduce spoilage. In Chinese herbal medicine, the origin of each herb is respected, and preparation is treated as a precise art. Together, these practices reflect both resource mindfulness and precision in handling inputs.

Our industry has yet to learn from this dual ethos. The sector’s environmental footprint is vast: about 5% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions originate from healthcare, with pharmaceuticals a major contributor.1 Globally, the industry’s emissions have surged by 77%, outpacing overall GHG growth at 49%.2 Pharma is also highly carbon intensive: it generates 1.5 times more CO₂ emissions per million dollars of revenue than the automotive sector, with the top 50 pharmaceutical companies emitting 13% more CO₂ than the automotive industry.3^, 4

However, we ought to not only look at materials and environment alone. Pharmaceutical companies also need to leverage personnel resources better. Knowing em-ployee skillsets and the tasks that need to be done and matching skillsets to tasks effectively with consistent priorities are critical for workforce management.

These examples highlight the overall importance of precision in the process design. Just as herbalists respect every plant, pharma must treat every gram of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and every employee as valuable. Optimizing processes, leveraging work time as best as possible, recycling solvents, and tightening yields mirror the culinary practice of making every ingredient count.

The Right Tools for the Right Step: Lessons from the Wok

A hallmark of Chinese cooking is the careful choice of tools for each process. The wok, for example, enables rapid stir-frying with minimal fuel, whereas cleavers combine versatility and efficiency in preparation. Over centuries, these methods have been refined—not necessarily through new inventions but through optimization of existing tools and techniques.

For pharma, this principle underscores a key point: sustainability is not always about buying the newest technology—it is about using current tools smarter. Evidence shows that process optimization alone can cut energy consumption by up to 50% without requiring new infrastructure.5

Some examples from personal work experience:

• Machine-learning-assisted raw material storage and preparation procedures
• Right-sizing reactors to match batch volumes
• Plan production on the best-suited filling and packaging line
• Optimizing cleanroom airflow patterns to reduce HVAC energy demand
• Optimizing pump settings or heating and cooling piping systems
• Strengthening preventive maintenance to extend equipment life

We should not strive for constant reinvention, but instead for polished mastery. Let us first leverage what we have at hand. Then, only upon knowing what the lack or missing piece is, start innovating to fill the gap.

Culture over Compliance: Embedding Sustainability and Acting Accordingly

In culinary traditions, sustainability is not regulated—it is cultural. The pharma industry, too, must shift beyond CO₂ certificate trading and fragile compliance mindsets, embedding sustainability into the company DNA by actively engaging employees. For instance, AstraZeneca’s “Ambition Zero Carbon” program has already cut GHG emissions by 68%, aiming for 98% reduction by 2026. The company even converted a major site to run on biomethane, a circular energy solution6 Similar approaches can be seen from Novo Nordisk’s “Circular for Zero”7 and Sanofi’s “Planet Mobilization” initiatives.8

A living culture is, however, only the first step. Taking action is the next. Naturally, every company can act alone, but the final impact might be limited. With collaboration, our industry can achieve more, as seen with the Manufacture 2030 platform. Members like GSK, AstraZeneca, and Pfizer are standardizing supplier emissions data. Joint renewable energy investments, such as 200 GWh per year of clean power through power purchase agreements (PPAs) in China, demonstrate how collective action can accelerate decarbonization.1

Harmonizing Tradition and Technology

The essence of Chinese culinary tradition—respect, precision, balance—can inspire a new cultural shift in pharma: one where sustainability is not a checkbox, but a mindset. Beyond environmental benefits, sustainability delivers business resilience: lowering procurement and waste costs, attracting talent, and strengthening competitiveness.5

Chinese food can carry complex taste despite having used simple ingredients, traditional tools, and the minimum amount of time to make it. High quality (of taste) in a short time—the sheer definition of efficiency. Perhaps the future of pharmaceutical manufacturing lies not in reinventing the wheel, but in recalling the ingenuity of ancient kitchens tuned to nature’s cycles.

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