Sustainable medicines for our planet 

Today on Earth Day 2024, we are all asked to reflect and challenge ourselves on what we can do to better protect our planet: What can we do as individuals? What can we achieve as a collective? What can we do as a global pharma company to embed sustainability into our core business to help ensure a healthy planet for future generations?

Day in and day out, our R&D department is unwavering in its commitment to minimize the environmental impact of new medicines that we bring to the market. Take for example the dedicated efforts of Dr. Marco Santagostino, Senior Principal Scientist in Chemical Development, and his team who is based in Biberach (Germany), one of our pivotal R&D sites. Their mission is twofold: To identify potential life-altering medicines, but also to embed sustainable practices in our production – to reduce our corporate environmental footprint. 

In the past years, we have been heavily investing in high throughput experimentation (HTE). This approach tests hundreds of different reaction conditions at a miniaturized scale and in a highly efficient way. With the goal to quickly solve complex chemical problems, this supports a more efficient development of the chemical processes of interest,” explains Marco. However, chemical processes are normally heavily reliant on solvents, which are derived from fossil fuels and generate substantial chemical waste: up to 100 liters of solvents, per kilogram of final product. He adds: "This waste cannot be repurposed or recycled, and we must ensure it is safely disposed.”

Decreasing our environmental impact and working on sustainable medicines

Honoring Earth Day, we acknowledge the remarkable strides our organization has made in continuously reducing the environmental footprint of our business operations. This has also been possible through the ambitious decarbonization program we’ve implemented and our commitment to responsible water management, both of which are key components of our MORE GREEN pillar within our sustainability strategy.

However, addressing today's environmental challenges requires taking a bold and united effort.

For us at Boehringer Ingelheim, this includes assessing our medicines' environmental impact. Our 'Sustainable Medicines' program promotes eco-design principles and life cycle assessments to minimize our environmental footprint, especially for new products. Boehringer also champions an open science approach, fostering collaboration with industry peers.

Marco and his team decided to publicly addressed their chemical waste issue in 2023 on the opnMe platform, Boehringer’s open innovation portal:  “IUPAC¹ has identified mechanochemistry as one of the top ten emerging technologies that make our existence on this planet more sustainable and eventually change the world." 

Recognizing this potential, they invited fellow experts to join them in tackling this sustainability challenge, exploring the integration of the explorative potential HTE and the sustainability inbuilt in mechanochemistry. The shared goal: to generalize use of mechanochemical processes to minimize solvent-dependent reactions, thereby reducing solvent waste.

Mechanochemistry uses mechanical force to cause chemical reactions; similar to using physical actions such as grinding, milling, or even shaking to make different substances react with each other and create something new. This concept of using mechanical force to initiate chemical reactions has been around for thousands of years, but it is yet to become mainstream.² However, its potential for greener, more efficient chemical processes is now drawing attention. 

For Marco, mechanochemistry’s most thrilling aspect is its potential to drastically cut chemical waste. Mechanochemistry typically uses minimal to no solvents. If the team can efficiently transition from solvent-based to mechanochemical methods, it could not only help Boehringer tackle environmental challenges, but also enable a significant impact for the entire pharmaceutical industry.

Collaborating with a renowned expert to decrease solvent waste 

Since the sustainability challenge was publicized, Marco and his team have received 14 responses. Most of them provided insightful suggestions and food for thought. However, one response truly stood out: that of Prof. Dr. Duncan Browne, a renowned expert in the field of mechanochemistry. 

“High-throughput mechanochemistry has the potential to revolutionize sustainable chemical synthesis, impacting a range of industries, including pharmaceuticals. Our work at University College London, in collaboration with industry partners like Boehringer, is pioneering this field,” says Dr. Browne.

The research unit now meets on a regular basis and works towards blazing the trail on this promising approach. He adds: "If our findings are as compelling as we anticipate, we're on the brink of a transformative shift in this field – made possible with our open, collaborative approach." Dr. Browne’s team also receives support through our MORE GREEN Grants, which are designed to encourage research on creating eco-friendly medicines. A key criteria is that research findings must be made public ensuring free access to all. Neither the grant recipient nor Boehringer can claim exclusive rights or patent the research outcomes.

"As we strive towards a more sustainable future, our unique approach to intellectual property sets us apart," says Dr. Frank Roschangar, Highly Distinguished Research Fellow in the Innovation Unit Sustainability. "We aim to establish a new standard for open, collaborative research within our unit, from which not only Boehringer, but also the global scientific community can benefit.” Because ultimately, our common goal is to contribute to ensuring we all have a healthy planet.
 

¹International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry – www.iupac.org 
²Introducing mechanochemistry | Feature | Chemistry World

--- EARTH DAY 2024: “Planet vs. Plastics” & the role of solvents in plastic recycling ---

Celebrated globally on April 22, Earth Day draws attention to the environment, promotes conservation and encourages sustainable practices. This year’s theme, “Planet vs. Plastics”, highlights the commitment to end plastics for the sake of human and planetary health through a 60% reduction in the production of all plastics by 2040.

To recycle plastic, solvents are needed to dissolve specific polymers from plastic waste through heating. Researching alternative methods, such as mechanochemistry, could open the gates to more environmentally friendly industrial applications, including plastic production and recycling. This would allow us to recover valuable materials while minimizing environmental impact.

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