MilliporeSigma discusses the importance of people, education, and the benefits of embracing discomfort to bolster sustainability efforts.

This episode of our regular podcast Voices of Biotech brings you an in-depth conversation with Jeffrey Whitford, vice president of sustainability and social business innovation at MilliporeSigma, the life sciences division of Merck KGaA.

Whitford speaks about the company’s interim and long-term sustainability initiatives and provides a detailed outline of how the firm intends to meet their goals. Additionally, the conversation develops to discuss how integral people are when it comes to sustainability.

He puts forward the idea that it is not about people meeting you where you are at in terms of sustainability, but more about ensuring that you meet people where they are at, to develop an understanding of why and how you are reaching this aim.

According to Whitford, education (both self and academia) is vital to creating an unbreakable chain for sustainability. He talks about the academic partnerships MilliporeSigma has and the goal of making this global. Furthermore, he closes the conversation by adding how we need to be prepared to sometimes live in a little bit of discomfort and embrace change to really help make a difference.

The latest episode can be found here or through the BioProcess Insider Expression Platform at, Spotify, Apple iTunes, Google podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Samsung Biologics' James Choi discusses the CDMO’s role in teaming up with Big Pharma to tackle sustainability in the biotech space.

This episode of the Voices of Biotech – brought to you by the BioProcess Insider Expression Platform – brings you an interesting conversation with Choi about the commitment to a “greener” supply chain.

In July 2023, CEOs from Roche, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk, Merck KGaA, Sanofi, and contract development manufacturing organization Samsung Biologics signed an open letter calling on suppliers to commit to climate and sustainability targets.

The healthcare industry contributes approximately 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, 50% of which comes from supply chains. The letter said called on biopharma collaborators to speedily move towards a “greener, more efficient, and circular” process. Additionally, it urged suppliers to sign-up to a joint minimum climate and sustainability targets, based around fundamental commitments laid out by the same seven firms ahead of COP27 in November 2022.

Choi, executive vice president, chief marketing officer, and head of sales support and global public affairs at Samsung Biologics, speaks about the CDMO’s involvement in teaming up with Big Pharma players to reach specific sustainability goals by 2025 and beyond. He talks about the important role a service provider plays in being more sustainable, Samsung Biologics’ own sustainability measures at the firm, and how the coalition came to fruition.

On top of being part of a coalition to advance sustainability in the sector, Choi also talks in depth about the buildout of its facilities and the measures they have put in place to ensure the next plant is “greener than the one before.”

The latest episode can be found below or through the BioProcess Insider Expression Platform at, Spotify, Apple iTunes, Google podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.