Student Takeover Season: The Sustainability of the Pharmaceutical Industry

In this student takeover episode of the Meliora Podcast from the Sustainability & Resilience Institute at the University of Southampton, we are discussing the sustainability of the Pharmaceutical Industry. Through separating the SDGs into economic, social, and environmental issues, we place a lens over the progress the industry has made in addressing sustainability.The Pharmaceutical Industry plays a crucial role in contributing to the achievement of the United Nation’s SDG 3 – Good Health and Wellbeing - addressing healthy lives, access to medicines, innovation, and pandemic preparedness. In the meantime, numerous goals around environmental sustainability are abandoned, with the manufacturing and supply of medicines greatly contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and the pollution of toxic chemicals into water systems. This episode highlights areas for improvement, suggesting ways in which the industry can become more sustainable, as well as celebrating the successes of pharmaceutical companies over the last 40 years, in improving life expectancy.University of SouthamptonEpisode host: Sophie SaundersEpisode guests: Benjamin Bulley, Billy Weir and Georgina Norton