Manure, medicine and a lower-carbon future

In a first-of-its-kind collaboration, AstraZeneca and Vanguard Renewables are working together to reduce the climate impact of medicines manufacturing across the US. It’s one of a range of AstraZeneca’s global initiatives to decarbonise and hit net zero by 2045.¹ Why? Because the health of people – and the planet – depends on it. 

Making medicine is energy intensive and the conventional natural gas used to power R&D and manufacturing sites is produced by burning fossil fuel.^2,3 One of the by-products of this is carbon dioxide, which is released into the atmosphere, trapping heat and causing the planet to warm at a dangerous rate.³ Finding clean heat sources is vital.

AstraZeneca in Newark, Delaware, has already switched to using renewable natural gas (RNG).¹ Through a partnership with Vanguard Renewables, the site is using RNG to power its production of life-changing medicines for nationwide and global distribution.¹

The aim is for all of AstraZeneca’s US research and manufacturing sites to use RNG by 2026.¹

RNG: Creating a more circular economy

As part of our agreement, Vanguard Renewables to work with dairy farmers and food and beverage manufacturers, retailers and distributors to produce RNG using farm-based anaerobic digestion (AD) from food and dairy cow manure. Here’s how it works:¹

• Inedible or unsaleable food and beverage waste from the manufacturing and retail sectors is collected and sorted¹
• This is combined with dairy farm manure in a sealed biodigester tank¹
• Once combined in the tank, naturally occurring microorganisms digest the waste, converting sugars, fats and other compounds into biogas¹
• Biogas is upgraded to pipeline-quality RNG and injected into the existing infrastructure¹
• RNG is then used to heat or cool the site as needed

Importantly, the AstraZeneca and Vanguard Renewables collaboration will use food and waste from local and family-owned farms, supporting rural communities.¹ It will also help reduce pollution from the farming sector by capturing methane from dairy production that would otherwise end up in the atmosphere.¹

Harnessing energy from waste in this way captures as much as 95% of the potential greenhouse gas emissions that would result if the food and beverage waste were sent for landfill or if the manure were applied to fields.¹

Furthermore, by-products of this ‘digestion’ process include a low-carbon and nutrient-dense fertiliser that reduces the farm’s dependence on chemical fertilisers, as well as a by-product that can be used for animal bedding.¹

AstraZeneca is also partnering with clean energy providers in different locations to reduce our medicine-manufacturing emissions.² Learn more here.

We appreciate that to reduce emissions globally, we need to help make RNG more accessible to all. That’s why we expanded our collaboration with Vanguard Renewables and are using our industrial-scale manufacturing and digital capabilities to boost US RNG capability and accelerate the transition to clean energy.⁴

Drawing on AstraZeneca’s global operations, supply chain, digital and scientific expertise, the companies will work together to increase RNG production.⁴

Discover more about our aim to add RNG capacity to the US power grid and build capabilities in sustainable innovation to decarbonise the supply of healthcare and contribute to a more sustainable future.⁴

Seeing a world of connections creates opportunities that can make a big difference to our health.

The health of people and society is deeply connected to our planet’s health. Ageing populations, a rise in chronic diseases and the impacts of the climate emergency are increasing health inequities and adding further pressures to health systems around the world. We must deliver healthcare that is more equitable, sustainable and resilient.  

Want to know more? Learn about our Ambition Zero Carbon strategy and our investment in making the switch to renewable energy through a series of innovative partnerships. You can also learn more about our commitment to sustainable research through Green Labs and take a look at our approach to decarbonising respiratory care. 

To get the complete picture of our sustainability strategy, explore our Sustainability Impact Publication.

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