Our insights from January 2026: Sustainability in motion

Insights to inspire, act, share & inform

Welcome back to ‘Sustainability in motion’. In this edition, we cover:

• Inspire – Pharmapack 2026: Why PCF data is becoming a game-changer
• Educate – Sectorial Scope 3 focus: Chemicals, manufacturing & pharma
• Share – Driving collective action across B Corps in South Holland
• Regulatory update – Amazon Business integrates EcoVadis into supplier search criteria

PCF data: Just a report or real driver of change?

Spoiler: It’s becoming the second.

Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) data used to sit neatly in sustainability reports: useful, but often disconnected from day-to-day product decisions. Today, it’s showing up in much more significant discussions. When you can see where emissions actually come from, you stop guessing where to act.

In pharma, that shift matters. A lot.

Healthcare is responsible for 4.4% of global emissions, and around 71% come from the supply chain. That makes Scope 3 less of a reporting exercise and more of a design challenge.

This is where PCF data earns its keep:

• Highlighting real emissions hotspots
• Connecting sustainability targets to concrete product choices
• Helping teams focus on what actually moves the needle

Enter: Pharmapack 2026

Last week, our team joined Pharmapack 2026. The message from the floor was clear: Sustainability in pharma is no longer a side conversation. It is actively shaping how products are designed, packaged and delivered to patients.

A few takeaways we’re still thinking about:

• PCF data is moving from “nice to have” to design-critical
• Scope 3 is still the big challenge
• Packaging innovation is delivering real wins
• Collaboration isn’t optional anymore

So… what does this mean for pharma leaders?

Pharmapack reinforced three priorities we see across the sector:

Put data at the centre

Use PCF and Scope 3 data to target hotspots and link product decisions directly to net-zero strategies.

Design for impact (and circularity)

Packaging, solvents and waste streams aren’t just risks — they’re opportunities for emissions reduction, cost savings and recovery.

Collaborate early and often

Sector initiatives and shared platforms are becoming essential to align expectations and accelerate change.

The question is no longer if sustainability will redefine pharma, but how fast organisations are ready to act. If you’re rethinking packaging, tackling Scope 3 emissions or wondering how to turn PCF data into real decisions, let’s talk.

See how we can help: Product sustainability support

Scope 3: The emissions challenge no one can ignore

Most organisations now accept that climate reporting is a baseline expectation. But Scope 3 emissions, those generated across the value chain, remain the hardest to measure and the biggest source of impact.

Looking across sectors shows one thing clearly: Scope 3 is not a one size fits all challenge. The drivers, data gaps and levers for action differ widely by industry. Here is what that looks like in chemicals, manufacturing and pharmaceuticals.

Chemicals: Upstream emissions dominate

In the chemicals sector, most emissions come from upstream activities such as feedstock extraction and raw material production. Scope 3 often represents the majority of total emissions. That shifts the focus beyond operations to supplier engagement and material choices.

Key points:

• Feedstock carbon intensity varies widely
• Supplier data quality directly affects results
• Collaboration is essential to reduce upstream emissions

Read more: Mastering Scope 3 for chemicals: upstream emissions

Manufacturing: Measurement enables action

Manufacturers face complex, multi tier supply chains. While Scope 1 and 2 are usually well understood, Scope 3 emissions often remain fragmented. The priority is building robust carbon accounting that captures emissions across purchasing, logistics, product use and end of life.

Key points:

• Strong baselines come before reductions
• Data reveals true emissions hotspots
• Procurement plays a central role

Read more: Mastering Scope 3: a manufacturer’s guide to carbon accounting

Pharmaceuticals: Climate meets ESG responsibility

Pharma Scope 3 emissions are driven by suppliers, packaging, logistics and outsourced manufacturing. These emissions often exceed those from direct operations. What makes pharma distinct is the link between decarbonisation, human rights and patient safety.

Key points:

• Climate and social risks are closely linked
• Lifecycle thinking supports better decisions
• Cross functional collaboration accelerates progress

Read more: Pharma ESG focus: human rights and decarbonisation across the supply chain

Understanding these sector differences is the first step towards turning Scope 3 from a reporting challenge into a strategic advantage.

Key takeaways from an afternoon with the B Corp in South Holland community

In this meet-up with B Corps in South Holland, we brought the community together at the offices of our partner Salacia. The group explored what the new B Corp standards mean for recertification.

Spoiler: every B Corp must re-certify this year.

One of the seven impact areas puts collective action at its centre. The session shared concrete actions organisations can take under ‘collective action’ in the recertification, including mentoring, external research, multi stakeholder collaboration, policy advocacy and thought leadership.

Building on these themes, we split into groups to share real examples from across organisations and sectors, and to explore what stronger regional collaboration could look like.

As a practical example of collective action, the group also heard an inspiring story about how local communities can create visible impact. More on this soon.

Thank you to everyone who joined and contributed so openly. Moments like these show just how much momentum there is when B Corps come together.

Big news for sustainable procurement

Amazon Business now integrates EcoVadis directly into search and filter options. This means buyers can quickly identify sellers with verified medals and badges, giving instant visibility into sustainability performance.

Why it matters

Verified ESG data gives buyers confidence that suppliers are meeting recognised sustainability standards, increases transparency across complex supply chains, supports compliance with growing regulatory and due diligence requirements, and positions sustainability as a tangible competitive advantage rather than just a reporting exercise.

Be ready for 2026 assessment

Updates you should be aware of for this year include:

• Certain companies can now exclude non-material environmental topics
• Documentation and evidence requirements are stricter
• Scoring benchmarks are rising, making strong performance harder to maintain, and more

Want to see what this means in practice? Watch our webinar for insights from 2025 assessments, a detailed overview of 2026 updates, and live Q&A with our EcoVadis experts.

Stay ahead, stay verified, and make every procurement choice count.

Webinars

If you want to check out the rest of our webinars, see our webinars and events page.

If any of these topics are relevant for your organisation and you’d like support from our team, reach out — we’ll connect you with the right experts.