How to Foster the Circular Economy Within the Pharmaceutical Industry? A Research Framework Proposition

Pharmaceutical industries play an integral role in our society as their primary purpose is to provide products that enhance human health and well-being. Due to its intrinsic activities, the impact of the healthcare sector on the environment is consequent. However, the preservation of our environment is a prerequisite to ensure human health resilience. The circular economy (CE) is a model of production and consumption aimed to preserve the environment. The CE principles, such as “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” [1, 2] are required in an expanding world where resources are limited [3], and the generation of waste increases each year. Considering the size of the pharmaceutical sector in the global economy and the fact that less than 10% of our economy is circular [4], it is essential to implement the concept of circularity to limit the tremendous resource consumption. Nevertheless, most of the work that has been done in this area focuses on a few specific steps of drug and medical device development processes [5, 6], creating room for implementation opportunities. The goal of this paper is to provide a mapping of the research that has been done in the field of CE, related to the pharmaceutical sector. As circularity is driven by design, this paper focuses on the whole value chain of pharmaceutical products, from raw material extraction to the end of life. The findings of this study are categorized regarding product life-cycle steps. This allows the identification of current research trends and opportunities for future research and potential circular solutions.