40 TWENTYFOURSEVENBIOPHARMA Issue 1 / March 2025 hours, and has performed to design since being commissioned. The savings in terms of energy use has been quantified to be over 65% compared to other chillers, demonstrating significant financial and environmental advantages. In support of ongoing innovation across the industry as a whole, Sterling has hosted a number of organisations from the pharma sector and other industries to observe the motors in action and use them as a reference study. Future plans After the successful pilot programme, and to support the company’s ultimate goal towards achieving complete carbon neutrality, as well as reinforcing its commitment to technology and innovation, Sterling is now planning to roll out the use of these chillers across its global network of facilities. The partnership allowed KGM to test the equipment in a real-life manufacturing scenario to gather data and validate results. This first-generation of chillers have performed as anticipated, and KGM continues to leverage data from the pilot project at Sterling to optimise the unit’s design. Refinements have now been made to further reduce the refrigerant charge and improve efficiency of the unit, with ongoing engineering optimisations to reduce the costs. Environmental and social governance principles are becoming more important to customers when evaluating a CDMO, with many large multinational companies expecting suppliers to have initiatives in place to support their own corporate goals. The 2023 CPHI Annual Report stated that “sustainability remains a pan-industry critical issue, with 90% of executives interviewed citing ‘visibility on supply chain partner’s sustainability record’ as extremely important or important.” Additionally, “60% of executives forecast that innovators will require CDMOs to implement sustainability goals as a part of contracts in the upcoming years.”2 By its very nature, pharmaceutical manufacturing is resource intensive, and there is no single method that will bring about wholesale changes to the environmental impact that the industry has. Sustainability initiatives are complex and multifaceted, and often require long-term commitments to achieve real progress. Energy efficiency is just one aspect for manufacturers to evaluate as part of their environmental and social governance practices. Companies must also evaluate their own supply chain and look to increase efficiency in terms of emissions and waste recycling, as well as water and solvent use. While modern global facilities can be designed to have less environmental impact through the use of new technologies, retrofitting older buildings to incorporate such innovations can be a more difficult process with potentially much longer timeframes for return on investment. The success of this project not only demonstrated how innovation can reduce environmental impact, but can also result in quantifiable economic advantages. In addition to improving energy efficiency, this technology can be used to future-proof operations against the increased restriction and phase-out of other common refrigerants. References 1. Ammonia Refrigerants Market Share, Size, Trends - 2022-2030 (marketsandmarkets.com) https:// www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/ ammonia-refrigerants-market-254343156.html 2. 2023 CPHI Annual Report https://www.cphi. com/en/digital-products/digital-products/annualreport-2023.html JAMES ROGERS EVP and Site Head Sterling Pharma Solutions STERLING PHARMA SOLUTIONS
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