Can Novo Nordisk & Maersk Make Pharmaceuticals Sustainable?

Companies are transitioning towards more sustainable practices, but some fear this might compromise their operational efficiency.

Within pharmaceutical logistics, organisations need to transport life-saving medications rapidly whilst preserving quality and environmental responsibility.

This is the reason Novo Nordisk and Maersk have created a collaboration focused on making pharmaceutical logistics both more environmentally friendly and more streamlined.

A partnership of shared ideals

Novo Nordisk is a Danish pharmaceutical enterprise committed to the treatment, prevention and cure of chronic conditions. For more than a century, it has achieved breakthroughs in medical innovation, including its insulin pens, and continues to work to guarantee its products reach everyone who requires them.

Maersk is a Danish shipping and logistics enterprise with operations spanning port management, supply chain coordination, warehousing and air freight services. The company provides an array of cold chain logistics capabilities alongside sustainable logistics approaches.

Prompt access to healthcare represents a key priority throughout the collaboration.

Dorethe Nielsen, Vice President of Corporate Environmental Strategy at Novo Nordisk, says: "Just envision that you have a child with a chronic disease and one night you reach for their medication only to find it's broken. That would be an absolute disaster."

Cold chain experts

Whilst Novo Nordisk can guarantee compliance and secure handling, it needs to be confident its logistics collaborators maintain identical standards.

The company has formed a partnership with Maersk, a reliable provider offering comprehensive cold chain capabilities. To safeguard product integrity, pharmaceutical cold chains require rigorous management with stringent timelines and designated temperature parameters.

Any disruption in the cold chain jeopardises product quality, potentially rendering treatments ineffective or dangerous and resulting in recalls, financial losses or public health emergencies. Transportation generally demands constant monitoring between 2 and 8°C. Maersk's Pharma Cold Chain Management (P-CCM) combines digital and physical safeguards to deliver complete control, flexibility and visibility.

Gaëtan Van Exem, Global Vertical Head of Pharma and Healthcare at Maersk, states: "Shipping pharmaceuticals entails more than mere transportation. It's about precision, trust and shared responsibility."

Meeting sustainability targets

Novo Nordisk is as an advocate for sustainability, which represents another motivation behind its collaboration with Maersk.

Maersk possesses the international presence and resources to deliver reliable and sustainable logistics, particularly with something as specialised as pharmaceuticals.

Both organisations have established objectives for decreasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. For Novo Nordisk, this includes near and long term targets of 2030 and 2045 to reduce GHG emissions throughout its operations and transport activities.

Maersk intends to achieve net zero GHG emissions by 2040 and is committing resources to lower-emission fuels throughout its fleet. These are classified as fuels that achieve at least a 65% lifecycle reduction in GHG emissions when compared to conventional fossil fuels. Maersk acknowledges it needs to work with partners throughout the value chain to accomplish these objectives.

"This is a challenge we cannot solve alone," says Gaëtan. "We found a partner that shares the same ambition level."