Balancing Sustainability and the highest production standards
The pharma and life sciences industry encompasses a broad ecosystem of companies focused on developing and manufacturing products, from pharmaceuticals and medical devices to biotechnologies and nutraceuticals, that protect and improve the quality of life but also cosmetics and some food processing.
This market is a highly regulated sector that operates under strict industrial and environmental performance guidelines. In order to produce in compliance with quality and safety requirements, several challenges must be addressed.
million tons/year of pharma packaging waste globally, with 70% plastic-based*
Pharma and Life Sciences industries challenges
Regulatory compliance, safety & traceability
Life sciences and pharma facilities must comply with stringent GMP, EPA, and EHS regulations governing hazardous waste streams, including APIs, solvents, and contaminated materials. Full traceability and documentation are essential to satisfy audits, ensure safety, and avoid costly penalties.
Business continuity assurance
Any failure in waste treatment systems can trigger production shutdowns and compromise batch integrity. Maintaining resilient, uninterrupted waste management operations is critical to protecting patients, meeting delivery commitments, and preserving business performance.
Waste recycling, recovery & circular economy
Moving beyond disposal, life sciences and pharma manufacturers must optimise the sorting, treatment, and recovery of complex waste streams, embedding circular economy principles to maximise material reuse, reduce costs, and minimise their overall environmental footprint.
Water quality, compliance & wastewater treatment
Ultra-pure water is non-negotiable in pharma and life sciences production, while wastewater containing APIs, solvents, and medical residues requires specialised treatment before discharge. Meeting increasingly strict water quality regulations is a critical operational and environmental challenge.
Water conservation, reuse & circular management
Against a backdrop of growing water scarcity, pharma and life sciences manufacturers must reduce consumption, implement water reuse systems, and adopt circular water management approaches to ensure long-term water resilience and security while cutting operational costs.
Energy efficiency, cost reduction & carbon footprint
Energy-intensive processes, fermentation, purification, cleanrooms, and HVAC, drive significant costs and carbon emissions. Optimising energy consumption and implementing flexible, low-carbon energy solutions are essential to reducing operational expenditure and meeting sustainability targets.
Digital transformation & process optimization
Digitalizing operations through real-time monitoring, data analytics, and automated process controls enables life sciences and pharma manufacturers to optimize resource use, enhance compliance reporting, reduce waste, and drive continuous performance improvement across all production activities.
Sustainability advancement
Facing mounting pressure from regulators, investors, and patients, pharma and life sciences manufacturers must embed sustainability across waste, water, and energy operations, reducing their environmental impact while maintaining the strict quality and safety standards the industry demands.
Our tailored solutions for Pharma and Life Sciences industry
How to make the life sciences and pharmaceutical manufacturing industries more compliant, efficient and sustainable?
Thanks to its expertise in water, waste and energy management, Veolia implements solutions tailored for life sciences industry to:
Ensure regulatory compliance and full traceability
By designing comprehensive waste and water management strategies tailored to the specific requirements of pharma and life sciences manufacturers.
Reduce costs and improve operational efficiency
By optimizing energy consumption in manufacturing and laboratory facilities, minimizing pharmaceutical waste and biohazardous byproducts, across production processes.
Guarantee business continuity
By securing water supply, energy availability and waste treatment operations to maintain uninterrupted pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Advance sustainability
By recovering valuable APIs and chemical by-products, treating complex pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical wastewater and helping our clients reduce their environmental footprint while maintaining full compliance with the highest standards.
“ The life sciences industry operates under the most uncompromising standards on the planet: zero contamination, zero deviation, zero margin of error. At Veolia, we help pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturers turn their environmental targets into a competitive advantage, delivering ultrapure water, compliant waste treatment, and decarbonization strategies that protect both patients and the planet. Because in this industry, behind every process, there is someone waiting for their treatment or product. ”
Samah RINGA
Life Sciences Director, Veolia
They did it!
Veolia and a global leader in diabetes care have partnered to transform medical waste into resources by recycling disposable insulin pens into plastic pellets.
In 2023, Veolia secured a 3-year Total Waste Management partnership with a global pharmaceutical leader, displacing the incumbent provider across three Belgian sites. By integrating on-site and off-site services with digital traceability and continuous innovation, Veolia delivers measurable impact: reduced costs, minimized carbon footprint, and zero waste to landfill. This strategic collaboration strengthens our client's competitive edge while accelerating their global sustainability commitments and regulatory excellence.
Switzerland
Since 2001, we have supported the operational, economic and environmental performance of one of the giants of the pharmaceutical industry at its complex in Basel.
We provide optimized supply and management of water (drinking, ultra-pure, industrial and demineralized water) and energy fluids (electricity, steam, superheated water, compressed air and cooling water) at the Basel sites, as well as collecting and treating waste, including recovering hazardous waste.
In 2014, this major industrial customer decided to extend the partnership to cover all production support services, including management of water, energy, waste and all other facility-related services at 15 of its production sites in Europe.
In 2025, Veolia secured a groundbreaking 5-year, multi-country utilities management contract with a global pharmaceutical leader across nine sites in France, Belgium, Italy, and Spain. Veolia delivers comprehensive hard services: HVAC, electrical, mechanical systems, and environmental monitoring, enabling our client to focus on core operations. This strategic partnership drives economies of scale, standardized operational excellence, and enhanced cross-site benchmarking for sustained competitive advantage.
Our solutions for other industries
Discover how industrial companies are reducing their environmental impact
while meeting the specific constraints of their operations
We offer solutions for every sector
- Mining industry: solutions for a sustainable future
- Pulp and paper industry: producing more and polluting less
- Food and beverage industry: reducing environmental impact
- Oil & gas and chemicals industries: the sustainability challenge
- Automotive industry: driving to a greener future
- Defense industry: improving competitiveness
- Construction: reduce the environmental footprint of buildings and construction sites
- Chemical industry: between regulations and the environment
The experiences of different industry players
*Source: Gitnux