Abstract The pharmaceutical industry produces 52 megatons of carbon-dioxide equivalent emissions yearly which exceed automotive manufacturing emissions by 55 %, while pharmaceutical ingredients pollute rivers across 104 nations worldwide. The review presents an extensive life-cycle framework which enables pharmaceutical systems to transition from their current linear waste-generating structure to sustainable circular systems. The review evaluates waste management systems through advanced wastewater treatment methods that efficiently remove pharmaceuticals, drug take-back programs and new extended producer responsibility rules. The evolving set of environmental regulations including PAS 2090:2025 life-cycle assessment standards and European Medicines Agency’s 2024 Environmental Risk Assessment guideline and WHO antibiotic-discharge guidance establish accountability systems that drive sustainable development. The research needs identification of biodegradable API design methods and digital twin optimization techniques (real-time virtual replicas of manufacturing processes enabling predictive optimization) and chronic mixture ecotoxicology studies and a phased implementation plan for pharmaceutical companies and regulatory bodies and healthcare organizations. Protecting human health demands that pharmaceutical companies adopt sustainable practices, as their current environmental damage threatens the planetary systems that support human well-being.
Foudah et al. (Thu,) studied this question.