ICE Pharma Touts Fully Recyclable Booth at Its CPHI Milan Exhibit

To emphasize its four core principles that revolve around the concept of sustainability, the Italy-based contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) ICE Pharma will have a 100% recyclable booth constructed at its designated exhibition location at CPHI Milan from Oct. 8–10, 2024, the company said in a press release on Sept. 25, 2024 (1).

At CPHI Barcelona in the fall of 2023, Pharmaceutical Technology^® and BioPharm International^® editorial director Chris Spivey spoke with ICE Pharma marketing and communications manager Concetto Andrea Rizza about sustainability and the company’s green strategy, and at that time, it was mentioned that the 2023 booth would be “stored and re-deployed at future conferences,” saving these materials from the typical landfill fate” (2).

Accordingly, the stand embraces the principles of “reduce, reuse, recycle,” ICE Pharma said in its press release, by using eco-sustainable materials, namely white honeycomb cardboard and linoleum (1). The lifecycle of the setup of the stand was also designed to be fully environmentally sustainable, beginning with the design and production stages and moving onto its use and either disposal or reuse.

Material waste generated during production has been repurposed into functional furniture for the booth, such as seats and tables, according to ICE Pharma (1). Recovered material was integrated into new components to save it from being otherwise discarded; this includes optimizing the design of the cuts of the cardboard panels.

Sustainability is not the characteristic for which ICE Pharma is chiefly known, however. The company’s specialty in developing drug treatments derived from bile acids and its capabilities in providing products and services for the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries are well known.

"We offer a distinctive portfolio of bile acid products,” said Roger Viney, PhD, ICE Pharma chief commercial officer, in the press release. The company is also a major producer of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA). “Additionally, our CDMO services include contract manufacturing for both solid- and liquid-finished dosage forms of UDCA and other difficult-to-formulate molecules."

The sustainability strategy adopted by ICE Pharma is categorized into four core principles: fighting illness through product innovation, caring for people, accelerating sustainable operations, and building strong relationships (1). The company said in the release that these tenets are meant to drive long-term value and bolster resilience, incorporating essential environmental, social, and governance characteristics.

“We believe our sustainability strategy will enhance the long-term stability of both our business and supply chain, while offering meaningful fulfillment for our employees. It also empowers our customers to continue advancing treatments for hepatic, neurological, and other conditions that benefit from bile acid-based therapies,” said Agostino Barazza, chief executive officer.

At booth 4A41 at CPHI Milan, attendees can experience ICE Pharma’s recyclable booth in action and can also learn about the company’s Biliary Acid Library and other innovative products. Attendees will have opportunity to connect with the company’s experts about the future of bile acid-based pharmaceuticals (1).

References

1. ICE Pharma. ICE Pharma Brings Pioneering Solutions to CPhI Worldwide 2024. Press Release. Sept. 25, 2024.

2. Spivey, C. Centering Sustainability and Environmental Impact in the Supply Chain. PharmTech.com, Nov. 23, 2023.