PHARMECO Fall 25 Webinar series - Webinar 6 - Standardized green-value engineering approach to enhance sustainability in CAPEX projects within pharma industries
Abstract
This presentation was the third in a series. The webinar introduces the standardized Green Value Engineering approach for Pharma CapEx projects. The presentation covered two main topics: Green Value Engineering Framework: Dr. Alessandro Rosengart (VTU Engineering) presented a structured methodology to integrate sustainability into pharmaceutical capital expenditure projects. The approach adapts traditional value engineering by adding environmental KPIs alongside economic ones. Key steps include baseline setting, interdisciplinary brainstorming, quantitative scoring, scenario validation, and phased implementation. This enables systematic identification and prioritization of greener solutions for both new and existing plants. Application and Case Study: Dr. Alessandro Rosengart discussed the environmental challenges in pharma—especially high energy consumption for HVAC systems—and barriers such as cost priorities and limited historical data. A real-world case study from a large Italian pharma plant illustrated the methodology’s impact: optimizing chiller systems and HVAC operations using digital twins and intelligent controls. The €560,000 investment achieved a three-year payback, annual savings of 170 tonnes CO₂, and no disruption to production, demonstrating the efficiency and business value of green engineering.
Full text
Standardized green-value engineering approach to enhance sustainability in CAPEX projects within pharma industries Dr. Alessandro Rosengart VTU Engineering Webinar –WP 5
Agenda 01 The impacts of Pharmaceutical Industry 02 Green Value Engineering step wise improvement 03 The perspective of pharmaceutical industry 04 Example of application
Let’s start with a Quiz! GUESS!! Italian Car 81kW (110hp) 90g CO2 /km 13.000* km/year German Car 441kW (600hp) 278g CO2 /km 13.000 km/year 3,32 tonCO2/year1,17 tonCO2/year 5,88 tonCO2/year * Average annual use per category of Car in Germany
Let’s start with a Quiz! ** Germany energy mix 2023 Small centrifugal pump 2kW 350 gCO2/kWh** 8.400 h/year Italian Car 81kW (110hp) 90g CO2 /km 13.000* km/year German Car 441kW (600hp) 278g CO2 /km 13.000* km/year 3,32 tonCO2/year1,17 tonCO2/year 5,88 tonCO2/year
What are Pharma industry impacts? Since the establishment of ISO 50001:2011 Energy management systems, more and more data are becoming available, for each industrial sector Energy performance index Pharma Industry Resource Value UoM Uncertainty Cooling (electricity) 1.926 kWh/m2 ± 60% Heating (CH4) 1.997 kWh/m2 ± 70% Energy Efficiency booklets-Pharma // ENEA Italy 2022 Energy Consumption 2023 Secondary processing pharma plants (EU) built during 90s – VTU ARCHIVE Compounding, Lyo, Sterile fill & finish Classified areas B/C/D Production surface A 19.000 m2 B 6.000 m2 C 2.500 m2 Electrical Energy for cooling [GWh/yr] 40,7 17,2 8,3 Methane Energy for heating [GWh/yr] 39,3 21,4 5,8 Energy Performance index KWh/m2 2.100/2.087 2.866/3.566 3.300/2.320 Since the establishment of ISO 50001:2011 Energy management systems, more and more data are becoming available, for each industrial sector These figures correspond to the Energy consumption of a village of Is it much? Yes. But there is a lot of improvement space, as the majority of Pharma plants are >30 yo. 7200 3000 1500
Managing a trade-off BUDGET SCOPE SUSTAINABILITY INCREASES PROJECT MANAGEMENT COMPLEXITY TRADE-OFF TRIANGLE SCOPE BUDGET TIME SUSTAINABILITY The Right Moment Sustainability must be decided at the beginning and enabled onwards The Right Decision Complex and interdisciplinary problems need measurable KPIs The Right Priority Industry must guarantee Cost Control and Time to Market. The variety of productions does not allow a universal solution: each plant has its history and its constraints QUALITY SAFETY QUALITY SAFETY TIME
Solutions are tailored on the actual need of Industry Keep production and cost control as a priority Sustainable solutions must not undermine business Technical offices are challenged Few resources or project fragmentation Starting point not always clear Little automation or data history BUSINESS SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS GREEN ENGINEERING IS A PRACTICAL APPROACH DEVELOPED WITHIN AND FOR INDUSTRY
How to enable sustainable design •A novel approach to Value Engineering (ASTM E1699-14*) to enhance Sustainability in industrial CAPEX projects •Methodology developed by VTU Engineering in collaboration with Politecnico di Milano, published in open access on the peer reviewed journal MDPI Sustainability •Multidisciplinary and interactive PM tool to convey technical contributions, design constraints, and corporate targets •Application on 8+ projects in 2 years *ASTM E 1699-14: Standard Practice for Performing Value Engineering (VE)/Value Analysis (VA) of Projects, Products and Processes. 8 STEP 1 Baseline definition STEP 4 Multi Scenario Validation STEP 5 Results presentation strategy definition STEP 2 Improvement Identification STEP 3 Green Value Analysis
A common multi-step approach Systematic review of the engineering documentation of a project in order to identify improvement opportunities to reduce the project costs and maximize the plant sustainability performance. Identification of improvement opportunities on existing facilities, with the final purpose of achieving specific sustainability targets, allowing for the definition of an implementation roadmap in the short-mid term. STEP 1 Data Mining STEP 4 Multi Scenario Validation STEP 5 Results presentation strategy definition STEP 2 Improvement Identification STEP 3 Green Value Analysis
Conclusions: success factors for a green improvement 16 The observation of common trends in different industries allowed VTU to see a pattern WHAT IS NEEDED HOW IT IS ACHIEVED Proved Effectiveness → Measurable KPIs Shared Values → Stakeholders Engagement Implementability → Bottom -up Design Business Advantage → Payback Analysis Increased Resilience → Long Term Vision Green improvement idea Implemented solution Business Continuity Regulatory Compliance Time to Market Everyone in production facilities believes in change, but there are some conditions that must be guaranteed.
Example: Cooling loop in industrial plant 30+ years old pharma plant loop reflecting subsequent expansion. Inefficient use of the primary and secondary loops
Example: Cooling loop in industrial plant Meteo station + AI Digital Twin to manage Chiller starts -442.170 kWh/year -108 ton CO2/year
Example: Cooling loop in industrial plant Temperature to control pump velocity -143.108 kWh/year -35,7 ton CO2/year Meteo station + AI Digital Twin to manage Chiller starts -442.170 kWh/year -108 ton CO2/year
Example: Cooling loop in industrial plant Temperature to control pump velocity -143.108 kWh/year -35,7 ton CO2/year HVAC Attenuation night+weekend -132.000 kWh/year -31 ton CO2/year Meteo station + AI Digital Twin to manage Chiller starts -442.170 kWh/year -108 ton CO2/year
Example: Cooling loop in industrial plant Temperature to control pump velocity -143.108 kWh/year -35,7 ton CO2/year HVAC Attenuation night+weekend -132.000 kWh/year -31 ton CO2/year Meteo station + AI Digital Twin to manage Chiller starts -442.170 kWh/year -108 ton CO2/year Investment estimated: 560 k€ Payback: 3 years CO2 impact: -174 ton/year
Standardized green-value engineering approach to enhance sustainability in CAPEX projects within pharma industries Dr. Alessandro Rosengart Webinar –WP 5