Four years after its last update, the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) has published a new edition of its climate change report, providing an overview of the actions undertaken by the innovative pharmaceutical industry to meet the European institutions’ call for the decarbonization of business activities. A total of 28 companies participated in the survey, up from 18 in the 2022 edition.
Key findings of the report
The climate survey conducted among EFPIA members in 2025 points to an acceleration in corporate action, with average Scope 1 emissions reduced by 16% and Scope 2 emissions by approximately 64% between 2019 and 2024. The primary driver behind this trend has been identified as the rapid transition to renewable energy sources. Scope 1 emissions are those generated directly by activities under a company’s control, while Scope 2 emissions are indirect emissions associated with energy produced by third parties but purchased and consumed by the company.
More than half of the companies surveyed (60%) also reported a reduction in Scope 3 emissions—those generated across the company’s entire value chain—by an average of 17%. However, EFPIA notes that achieving meaningful reductions in Scope 3 emissions requires strong engagement and collaboration from suppliers. Between 2019 and 2024, companies also recorded an average 43% reduction in emissions intensity, falling from 21 tonnes CO₂e/mEUR to 9 t CO₂e/mEUR.
The report also highlights that most innovative pharmaceutical companies are actively pursuing Net Zero targets, with nearly all respondents (90%) aligning their goals with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) framework. In this context, companies are increasingly focusing on energy efficiency measures, including HVAC optimization, heat recovery systems, heat pumps and ISO 50001 energy management systems.
The EFPIA survey further reveals a more advanced level of maturity regarding product carbon footprint management, supported by the use of lower-carbon raw materials and greater process circularity. Additional positive developments include the transition to hybrid and electric vehicle fleets and the adoption of refrigerants with a lower Global Warming Potential (GWP).
Most EFPIA member companies (90%) carried out climate risk assessments in 2025, representing a 15-percentage-point increase compared with the 2022 survey. In addition, 80% of companies use internationally recognized Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) frameworks to support climate-related reporting and management processes.
Looking ahead
Looking to the future, the EFPIA report highlights the importance of regulatory harmonization, whereby Product Category Rules (PCRs) should serve as complementary documents alongside Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) standards. In particular, EFPIA supports the adoption of the “PAS 2090:2025, Pharmaceutical Products – Product Category Rules for Environmental Life Cycle Assessments” framework. Published in November 2025, the standard is the result of collaboration between the Pharmaceutical LCA Consortium and other stakeholders across the pharmaceutical value chain.
EFPIA is calling on institutions and regulatory authorities to recognize PAS 2090 as the most robust approach for the pharmaceutical sector. Another key factor in ensuring effective implementation of the proposed framework will be partnerships, with EFPIA urging closer collaboration with suppliers and technology partners to improve data quality and traceability, as well as the adoption of advanced and weighted methodologies for calculating Scope 3 emissions.