Single-use technology is on the rise, but is it sustainable?
The implementation of single-use technology in the pharma industry is on the rise, and so is the discussion about sustainability. Critics and single-use supporters alike throw their arguments around the internet. Despite every objection, there are specialists who claim that single-use technologies are not only non-threatening for the environment but are even more sustainable than other technologies.
The discussions about single-use technology have become a regular, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic. This unforeseen event has made biopharma companies all over the world struggle with the high demand of single-use consumables, not meeting delivery times or volumes. While the majority is happy to have modern solutions like single-use consumables, others are quite skeptical.
In order to understand how popular single-use consumables really are and why this topic is so important, one has to look at some facts and figures.
Single-use technology – facts and figures
Already 90% of pharmaceutical companies are using single-use tubing for disposable application, 89% disposable filter cartridges, and 85% have single-use bags in use. Impressively, market analysis resulted in a global compound annual growth rate (GAGR) for single-use technology in the biopharmaceutical segment of over 10% from 2019 to 2024.
The numbers clearly speak for themselves and, as mentioned before, the trend of single-use technology neither has stopped yet nor is it expected to all too soon. And why would it, since single-use technology has a lot of important advantages over other, older systems, especially in cell and gene therapy, but also in CAR T-cell therapy, as Katy Spinks explains:
“The use of single-use systems is particularly important for cell and gene products because maintaining sterility and the aseptic nature of processing is so critical.” Katy Spinks, Cell and Gene expert and member of Single Use Support’s Board of Directors
In contrast to other technologies and systems, such as durable stainless-steel manufacturing installations, single-use technology has major advantages. Bioprocess containers and fluid pathways are preassembled and guarantee a sterile handling of biologics. Also, the production line is faster, and the output is increased. While factors like agility, scalability and independent supplier choice are obvious benefits, there are two particular advantages that some may not expect: cost-reduction and sustainability.
Reducing costs with single-use technology
One of the main advantages is the financial aspect. As one can see in the provided infographic, the initial investment costs can be lowered by 40%. Additionally, single-use technology has proven to be extremely cost-effective due to several saving opportunities:
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time savings
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energy savings
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water savings
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less instrumentation/utility demand required
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lower investment costs
Tightly connected to the financial aspect is the extremely important topic of sustainability. The main reasons for expense reduction are clearly related to sustainability issues concerning energy consumption. While older systems need more energy and require higher investment costs, single-use technologies provide modern options, more efficiency and cost-reduction.
Sustainability and single-use technologies
Now more than ever, sustainability is becoming increasingly significant. While many critics seem to think that single-use technologies are not “green” enough, it is proven that quite the opposite is the case.
Only 0.01% of annually generated plastic residues are single-use technologies from biopharma. Besides, single-use technologies and their manufacturers have very strict guidelines, which need to be followed.
“Single-use solution provider have to provide single-use systems that can be separated into their base materials by the manufacturer. Products then are easily recyclable.” Thomas Wurm, CEO and founder of Single Use Support.
There are several reasons why single-use technologies are more sustainable than outdated stainless steel components. Nevertheless, also single-use technology and companies like Single Use Support are not done optimizing and adapting their processes in order to gain even more sustainability. But for now, one of the biggest factors and advantages of all in regard of sustainability is the fact that single-use assemblies do not need to be cleaned.
In contrast to steel components, which need to be cleaned after every batch, single-use assemblies come ready to use because of pre-sterilization. This reduces risk of cross-contamination and, at the same moment, increases turnaround times. Moreover, single-use systems have a 35% more favorable CO2 footprint. They require less equipment to be stored on-site, which means that fewer manufacturing space is needed, and less energy is consumed. Companies using single-use technology save an impressive amount of 46% of water and energy consumption, which directly influences the sustainability of manufacturing.
All in all, it is an outdated bias that single-use technology is bad for the environment. The argument of sustainability seems to back the ongoing upwards trend towards those flexible technologies. Turning to single-use systems can not only make production more sustainable, but also more cost-effective. Its agility, flexibility and scalability fuel the drive towards single-use.
References:
1 Langer, Eric S. “Trends and Growth in Single-Use System (SUS) Adoption.” American Pharmaceutical Review, 15 October 2017, https://www.
2 Pathak, Anuj. “Biopharmaceuticals Single Use Technologies Market Research Report.” BCC Research, https://www.bccresearch.com/
3 Saxena, Prachi. “6 Benefits of Single-Use Bioprocessing.” Market Research Blog, 7 March 2018, https://blog.marketresearch.
