Scope 3 emissions, supplier transparency and regulatory fragmentation are pushing sustainability out of the boardroom and into the operational core of pharmaceutical companies. In this Q&A, Foorova unpacks what's changing in buyer-supplier relationships, why joint goal-setting is replacing compliance audits, and what she hopes to see from CPHI's Sustainability Collective by the end of the year.

Silvia Forroova, Director of Partnerships and Sustainability for CPHI

She also previews a highlight of the CPHI Milan Sustainability Summit: the unveiling of version two of the pharmaceutical sustainability ecosystem map, a tool built to help the industry identify gaps and act on them together.

Join the conversation at CPHI Milan 2026, where sustainability leaders from across the pharmaceutical supply chain will come together to move from dialogue to delivery.

Pharmaceutical Technology Focus: What are you expecting to hear from the industry at CPHI Milan 2026 that would demonstrate that sustainability is moving into a new phase?

Silvia Forroova: The industry needs to present evidence that companies have moved beyond debating why sustainability matters and are now focused on how to deliver it in practice. That means much more specific conversations about how sustainability is implemented throughout procurement, manufacturing, R&D, quality and compliance. Conversations also need to focus on how executive accountability is established and how progress is measured transparently over time.

I also expect a stronger focus on collaboration across the entire value chain. For Scope 3 emissions, supplier transparency and sustainable manufacturing cannot be addressed by one organisation alone. Talking openly about joint goal setting with suppliers, capability-building, shared standards and who should fund sustainability improvements is a strong sign of maturity.

Sustainability is increasingly intertwined with operational efficiency, resilience, market access and investment decisions. A new phase is one in which organisations are treating sustainability as part of how they make core commercial and operational decisions. Success should be judged by measurable outcomes rather than ambition alone.

Pharmaceutical Technology Focus: What sustainability topics do you think will dominate conversations at CPHI this year that weren’t receiving the same attention two or three years ago?

Silvia Forroova: The sustainability conversation is becoming more operational and more connected to the realities of global supply chains. Scope 3 emissions will remain central, but the discussion is likely to go deeper into supplier engagement, transparency and capability-building. This means setting clear expectations while also helping suppliers build the capacity to meet them.

Regulatory fragmentation is another theme that is becoming more prominent. Multinational organisations are navigating different sustainability frameworks across markets, while local conditions shape what can realistically be achieved. Factors like energy infrastructure, renewable availability, access to finance and supplier maturity make regional implementation a much more important part of the conversation.

I also expect green chemistry and sustainable API manufacturing, alongside circular packaging models, to receive significant attention. Financing will also be important, particularly in emerging markets. Together, these topics reflect a shift from high-level targets towards the technical, financial and collaborative mechanisms needed to turn commitments into lasting change.

Pharmaceutical Technology Focus: Are companies now asking different questions of their suppliers?

Silvia Forroova: The direction of travel is away from supplier sustainability programmes focused primarily on audits and compliance, and toward relationships built on transparency and joint innovation. Companies increasingly need to understand not only whether a supplier meets a requirement today, but whether both sides can work together to improve sustainability performance over time.

Buyers need greater visibility into supplier practices because Scope 3 emissions and supply-chain risk sit outside their direct operational control. Suppliers also need clarity on customer priorities before they can justify investment in new technologies or processes. A mature buyer-supplier relationship involves joint goal-setting and regular dialogue about challenges and progress. It can also include technical assistance, knowledge transfer and longer-term commercial commitments that give suppliers greater confidence to invest in sustainability initiatives.

Stronger supplier collaboration can support greater resilience and unlock opportunities for innovation and efficiency. Companies can manage regulatory and reputational risks while responding to growing sustainability expectations from customers. The key shift is from asking suppliers to prove compliance to asking how customers and suppliers can solve shared problems together.

Pharmaceutical Technology Focus: CPHI has described the Sustainability Collective as a way to move from conversation to collaboration. What would success for the Collective look like by the end of 2026?

Silvia Forroova: The ambition is to create continuity between the Sustainability Summit and the Collective’s wider work, so participants leave with practical actions, stronger relationships and mechanisms for accountability.

One example of progress is the working group that has already emerged around the pharmaceutical sustainability ecosystem map. We will showcase version two of the map at CPHI Milan to test it with the wider industry, gather constructive feedback and identify where it can be strengthened further. By the end of 2026, success would mean using that input to develop the map into an increasingly useful resource for understanding the sustainability ecosystem and supporting collaboration across the value chain.

Success should be measured by the ability to turn shared challenges into shared solutions, rather than against a single numerical target. That means building trust across the value chain, enabling knowledge exchange and peer accountability and creating a neutral platform where organisations can work together on challenges that would be difficult to address independently.

Pharmaceutical Technology Focus: What are members telling you they most urgently need help with now?

Silvia Forroova: The strongest message coming through is that organisations want greater visibility into the solutions, best practices and successful approaches that already exist. This includes mapping relevant solutions and sharing case studies and success stories from within pharma, as well as lessons from other industries that could be applied to pharmaceutical sustainability. The main challenges are reducing Scope 3 emissions across complex supply chains, improving visibility into supplier practices, and navigating sustainability requirements that vary between markets.

Supplier engagement sits at the heart of many of these opportunities, and companies are looking for practical ways to move beyond compliance audits towards capability-building and joint innovation. This raises important questions around cost-sharing: Who funds sustainability improvements, who benefits from them and how can organisations build a compelling internal business case?

Greater consistency in measurement and reporting is another priority, particularly as the growing number of sustainability metrics and frameworks can make comparison difficult. Organisations also need support to secure executive buy-in, embed sustainability across functions and commit the resources required to move beyond pilot projects. What companies need now are practical, collaborative approaches that recognise these different starting points.

Pharmaceutical Technology Focus: If you could change one thing about the way the pharmaceutical industry approaches sustainability today, what would it be?

Silvia Forroova: The most important shift is to recognise it as a shared challenge that must be embedded in normal business decision-making.

Many sustainability issues depend on organisations working together. A pharmaceutical company cannot meaningfully reduce supply-chain emissions without engaging suppliers, and suppliers often cannot justify investment without greater visibility into customer priorities or longer-term commitments. That is why I would like to see the industry move towards capability-building partnerships, shared standards, knowledge exchange and joint innovation.

Companies have a clear opportunity to work together on shared challenges such as infrastructure and industry standards, while still differentiating through how effectively they implement solutions, respond to customer needs and develop proprietary innovations.

By working together, companies can reduce duplication and develop solutions that are easier to adopt across the industry. They can still compete on how effectively they implement those solutions and the value they create for customers.