Utilising Sustainability in the Pharma Supply Chain
The opening day of LogiPharma 2025 concluded with a standout keynote panel, "Uniting on Sustainability: How can we drive collaboration and ground-breaking initiatives to ensure ESG is a top business priority?" Industry leaders from Gilead Sciences, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Sensitech/Carrier, and DP World gathered to share their strategies, challenges, and vision for embedding sustainability and people-centric values into the heart of the pharmaceutical supply chain.
Collaboration Over Competition: The New Imperative
A recurring theme was the need for unprecedented collaboration across the industry. Joydeep Ganguly, SVP Global Operations & Chief Sustainability Officer at Gilead Sciences, emphasised, "Sustainability is one area that we don’t need to compete. The planet is not going to care who gets there first because it has to be a team effort." This sentiment was echoed by Anne Giovannelli, Pfizer’s Global Head of Supply Chain Sustainability, who highlighted the importance of working closely with suppliers and logistics partners: "Collaboration with suppliers is key. We need new links, new destinations, to find the right capacity for containers and so on. Transportation efficiency and fuel consumption are critical, and we’re investing for the long term."
Sustainability as a Core Business Driver
Panelists agreed that sustainability must not take a back seat to cost or efficiency. Malene Gundestrup, CVP Global Logistics & Distribution at Novo Nordisk, outlined the company’s ambitious strategy: "We have committed to a very ambitious strategy. We are scaling capacity internally and externally, which puts a lot of pressure on our network and ourselves. We created a network planning system for scenario planning. Sustainability and carbon neutrality come before cost." This approach reflects a growing industry trend to integrate ESG into core business priorities, rather than treating it as an add-on.
“It’s a journey of progression, not a journey of perfection." Marlene Gundestrup, Corporate Vice President, Global Logistics & Distribution at Novo Nordisk
Innovation and People: The Foundation of Progress
The panel underscored that innovation and people are at the heart of sustainable transformation. Bhasker Kaushal, VP & GM at Sensitech & Carrier, noted, "Our mission is to make our supply chain more sustainable and automated. 2 billion people in the world don’t have access to healthcare. Certain medications need to be kept at certain temperatures, and it is getting more complex to distribute products." This challenge drives the need for smarter, greener logistics solutions and highlights the social dimension of sustainability—improving access to medicines globally.
Malene Gundestrup added, "It’s about how we go about it—you have to have the right people, talent, and engagement. What we are looking for are the best analytic resources from people. You can’t only work in logistics now; you have to work the whole company. It’s a journey of progression, not a journey of perfection." This focus on talent and cross-functional engagement is critical for embedding sustainability into company culture and operations.
Overcoming Financial and Structural Barriers
Ayla Bajwa, Group SVP - Sustainability at DP World, addressed the financial and structural challenges: "We have two angles of climate change—energy efficiency and decarbonisation strategy. Number two is access to capital. We aren’t going to achieve net zero if we aren’t helping and collaborating with each other." The panel agreed that industry-wide collaboration and innovative financing models are essential to drive large-scale change.
Looking Ahead: The Next Five Years
The panelists were optimistic about what the industry can achieve in the next pivotal five years. With ongoing investments in green chemistry, digitalisation, and supply chain optimization, pharmaceutical companies are poised to make significant strides toward carbon neutrality, waste reduction, and equitable access to medicines.
A Call to Action: Personal Ownership and Industry-Wide Commitment
The session concluded with an audience-wide pledge to actively engage with sustainability efforts within their organisations, reinforcing the message that meaningful change requires both personal ownership and collective action.
"It’s a journey of progression, not a journey of perfection." – Malene Gundestrup, Novo Nordisk
LogiPharma 2025’s keynote panel made it clear: sustainability and people are inseparable pillars for the future of pharma. By prioritizing collaboration, innovation, and a people-first mindset, the industry can lead the way toward a healthier planet and society.
Panelists:
Joydeep Ganguly, SVP Global Operations & Chief Sustainability Officer, Gilead Sciences
Malene Gundestrup, CVP Global Logistics & Distribution, NovoNordisk
Anne Giovannelli, Global Head of Supply Chain Sustainability, Pfizer
Bhasker Kaushal, VP & GM, Sensitech & Aftermarket and VP, Strategy, Carrier
Ayla Bajwa, Group SVP - Sustainability, DP World
Moderator: Eric Enselme, Board Advisor & Former Executive Fellow, World Economic Forum
To view the full post-event report, including all the key insights, trends, and expert perspectives, click here.