When Croda Pharma began mapping the carbon footprint of every ingredient it makes, it was attempting something more ambitious than many sustainability initiatives: to generate reliable, product-level emissions data for an entire pharmaceutical supply chain. That task, covering more than 1,000 formulations produced across 12 manufacturing sites worldwide, required new technology, new thinking, and a readiness to rethink how environmental responsibility is measured.
For an industry built on precision, the lack of accurate carbon data has long been a blind spot. Pharmaceutical companies have typically relied on generic emission estimates that hide the accurate picture of how materials are made. Croda's new app replaces those assumptions with real manufacturing data, calculating each ingredient's Product Carbon Footprint (PCF). The result is a living dataset that enables companies to see precisely where emissions occur - from raw materials to the final pack code.
“Without reliable data, sustainability targets risk becoming abstract,” says Rebecca Wood, Head of Sustainability for Croda Pharma. “What we’re building is a practical tool for action. Once you understand where emissions are coming from, you can make informed decisions about where to focus reduction efforts.”
The company’s approach goes beyond compliance. By aligning its calculations with the Together for Sustainability (TfS) guidelines, Croda has created a standard that others in the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors can trust. The framework ensures consistency across suppliers and customers, creating a shared language for decarbonisation. With each update, the data becomes more granular and valuable, not static numbers on a slide deck, but evidence that evolves as manufacturing improves.
Croda has already shared hundreds of PCF statements with global customers, many of whom are using the information to redesign formulations, set carbon budgets for new drugs, and collaborate on reduction strategies. The initiative has also given Croda’s own R&D teams a predictive tool to estimate the emissions of future products and processes before they are scaled.
Rebecca Wood describes the cultural shift this creates. “When we share data with a customer, it changes the conversation,” she says. “Suddenly, sustainability becomes a joint exercise. We can explore whether a process can be reformulated or a raw material substituted, and those discussions lead to genuine innovation.”
The initiative's impact extends well beyond Croda's own operations. As healthcare systems worldwide adopt low-carbon models, demand for transparent data on pharmaceutical ingredients is accelerating. By offering emissions data for the majority of its portfolio, Croda is helping downstream manufacturers meet their own science-based targets and comply with emerging procurement requirements from governments and health providers.
According to Wood, the deeper value lies in trust and transparency. “In sustainability, credibility depends on openness,” she reflects. “If you can show your customers exactly what the numbers mean and how they were generated, you build a partnership that’s based on evidence rather than aspiration.”
The project’s scalability is now one of its greatest strengths. Croda’s automated app processes real manufacturing and sourcing data in near real time, allowing continuous updates across its global network. The company plans to expand coverage to the remaining third of its product range and to keep refining the model as supplier data improves.
For Wood, success will come when this approach becomes industry norm. “Our ambition is to see carbon data treated with the same seriousness as quality or safety data,” she says. “When that happens, sustainability will stop being an external add-on and become part of everyday decision-making.”
Croda’s Product Carbon Footprint Excellence initiative demonstrates that progress on climate responsibility doesn’t have to wait for regulation or new technology. It can start with the data companies already hold, if they have the courage and discipline to turn it into insight. Congratulations to the whole team for winning the Sustainability Initiative of the Year Award at the Reuters Events Global Pharma Awards 2025.
Find out more about the winners and finalists at the Reuters Events Global Pharma Awards 2025 - visit the website here.
