A Framework for Evaluation of Environmental Sustainability in Pharmaceutical Industry

The term sustainability is generating much interest both among organizations and as a research topic. This article focuses on the environmental aspect of sustainability in pharmaceutical industry. The main objective of this paper is to present a framework for evaluation of environmental sustainability of formulated products (dosage forms) in pharmaceutical industry. Indicators used in pharmaceutical industry to evaluate environmental sustainability are also presented. Life cycle assessment (LCA) studies undertaken in pharmaceutical sector are explored and a list of these studies is presented in this paper. As part of framework building, each phase of LCA viz. goal and scope definition, inventory analysis, impact assessment, and interpretation was taken into account. For each of the above-mentioned phases, methods that may be undertaken to quantify the environmental burden caused by formulated pharmaceutical products were prepared based on literature review.