Chapter 5: The Importance of Elemental Sustainability and Critical Element Recovery for the Pharmaceutical Industry
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Published:08 Mar 2016
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Series: Green Chemistry Series
A. J. Hunt, in Green and Sustainable Medicinal Chemistry: Methods, Tools and Strategies for the 21st Century Pharmaceutical Industry, ed. L. Summerton, H. F. Sneddon, L. C. Jones, and J. H. Clark, The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2016, ch. 5, pp. 54-62.
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This chapter aims to raise awareness of the importance of elemental sustainability for medicinal chemistry. Many elements that are utilised in the production of pharmaceuticals are becoming increasingly expensive and harder to source. Strategies should be adopted that promote the efficient use of those elements that the pharmaceutical industry regard as being of key importance and are of high risk of supply restrictions. This holistic approach must include development of sustainable methods for extraction, manufacture, utilisation and recovery, in order to close the resource loop within the pharmaceutical industry and promote a circular economy.
