Sustainability requirements are complex in any industry, but what are the biggest hurdles for life sciences?
To find out, consultancy BIP.Verco set themselves a challenge: to interview sustainability professionals from across the life sciences industry about the difficulties they’re facing. They caught up with teams from pharmaceutical companies, drug manufacturers, medical device organisations and more. And they aimed for a global outlook, too, with participants from North America, Europe and the UK.
The conversations born from this project explored the key decarbonisation challenges of 2026, and how they are evolving in the context of:
Three challenges stood out as the most frequently mentioned. Each one is explored below.
Challenge #1: Difficulty securing the necessary CapEx for large projects that have the biggest impact
Sustainability teams within life sciences companies expect to find it hard to get CapEx approved for decarbonisation projects when the ROI for projects is longer than two to three years. Unfortunately, this tends to happen even when the long-term value of a project is understood.
However, the context for this challenge is changing. We’re in a period of unprecedented global energy market volatility. Geopolitical instability, supply disruption, and price uncertainty mean that boards are now more sensitive to energy spend and their exposure to energy markets. There is an opportunity to change the way we make business cases for carbon reduction measures. Projects pitched by sustainability teams that can robustly model financial outcomes as well as predicted carbon savings have a greater chance of approval than they might have had in recent years.
Therefore, now is the time to revisit any business cases from the past 24 months, recalculate the ROI, and make your case.
You can find an article with further detail on this topic here.
Challenge #2: Lack of data confidence creates inefficiency and fatigue across the supply chain
Across life sciences, there are a mix of approaches to data collection and reporting. Examples are:
Because data confidence underpins capital allocation, supplier engagement and executive decision‑making, the pressure put on these data systems is increasing. Many systems are beginning to fall short. Spreadsheets, for example, might work for basic reporting, but organisations also need the ability to model pathways, test scenarios and link carbon performance to financial outcomes. Clearly, more advanced platforms are needed to maintain efficiency across the supply chain.
For a quick look at a platform that can provide these things, check out MyVerco. And for a more in-depth look at how decarbonisation data platforms can drive confident, credible carbon reduction, read this article.
Challenge #3: Companies need more holistic, system-wide approaches in order to close in on their targets
For many businesses, the focus is on their own operations. But as those with Science-Based Targets are faced with the need to tackle Scope 3 emissions, it’s becoming clear that the wider supply chain must factor into carbon reduction roadmaps.
This is easier said than done, despite there already being some great collaborative initiatives in the industry that focus on driving Scope 3 emissions and supporting supplier engagement.
To unlock the greatest impact on emissions reductions, life sciences companies need to think more holistically of systems change and opportunities across the patient care pathway. They need to break down the silos that might exist within and between organisations, instead of only focusing on their own immediate operations.
What can we learn from these challenges?
Clearly, the life sciences sector understands what needs to be done, but faces real constraints in funding, data quality, and delivery capacity. The challenge for 2026 is not drumming up the ambition for these projects, but finding the funding, software and capacity to efficiently support and execute them.
Find out more about efficient delivery in BIP.Verco’s upcoming webinar
From ambition to delivery: life sciences sustainability in 2026 and beyond
Date: Thursday 11th June 2026
Time: 15:00 BST
When it comes to sustainability, there’s a lot of pressure on life sciences organisations.
Expectations are rising, from NHS England’s requirements for suppliers to produce detailed carbon reduction plans, to an increased focus on difficult to manage Scope 3 emissions. Energy market volatility and operational complexity are making delivery more challenging than ever.
In this context, it may seem like an uphill struggle, but there is so much potential to make progress. That’s why we’re bringing together a panel of life sciences experts to discuss how they are effectively driving sustainability.
Join AstraZeneca’s Katerina Maslova, BIP.Verco’s James Edney and other experts from across the industry as they explain how they are:
