Niklas Adamsson, COO at Envirotainer looks at the key considerations when preparing the cold chain for climate change.
Global distribution of life-saving pharmaceuticals is incredibly complex, with several different components from warehouse to final delivery. At each stage, providers must make sure strict temperature requirements are met across varying climates and infrastructures.
Here are some key considerations when preparing the cold chain for climate change.
1. Cold chains need to be smarter and stronger
One key consideration is that as weather becomes increasingly volatile, cold chains need to become smarter and stronger. Supply chain disruptions can easily cause issues with the delivery of supplies and treatments. Global warming is creating unpredictable conditions, with flooding, landslides and storm damage. These extreme weather fluctuations will impact routes and mean that future packaging may need to handle freezing temperatures, extreme heat and humidity all in one journey.
Ensuring reliability and efficiency is vital. Availability of packaging solutions must be successfully managed, and the industry must position itself to be able to predict and prepare for all disruptions. Extreme weather fluctuations will mean a one-size-fits-all approach will no longer be viable. Instead, data-driven risk analysis and route-specific adaptation will be key. Manufacturers will need to factor in seasonal and regional climate risks when planning distribution.
One solution to these evolving challenges is integrating AI into the cold chain. AI-driven insights can help optimise routes, reduce waste and lower costs. By analysing historical data and predicting climate patterns, the most efficient, reliable and unaffected delivery routes can be determined. This not only cuts costs but also supports the timely and reliable delivery of medicine and minimises environmental impact. AI will need real-time data on transportation conditions, such as weather patterns and temperature fluctuations, to determine the correct route and solution type needed for a successful delivery.
2. The widening of the global health gap
Affluent countries, with infrastructure already in place, are in a relatively strong position to manage the rising prices of climate-proof logistics. However, underserved regions without this infrastructure will face a double burden - the brunt of severe climate change combined with the weakest infrastructure. Extreme heat and flooding, on top of the ruralness of some locations, will introduce increased complexity into logistics. As reliable distribution grows increasingly expensive, lower-income regions run the risk of being behind when it comes to global pharmaceutical distribution.
Demand for pharmaceuticals in these regions will also rise. Floods, landslides, wildfires and drought can quickly cause a humanitarian crisis, especially in areas that are unprepared to handle these events. Resource constraints will leave these regions struggling to both adapt to climate change and meet the rising costs of pharmaceuticals. As global warming worsens, global collaboration will be vital to support these nations.
3. Handling global warming requires true collaboration
Finally, as learnt from any previous crisis, collaboration is key. The current reality is that often, someone vital is being missed out of the conversation.
As witnessed during the pandemic, packaging providers played a crucial role in the delivery of lifesaving medicines. By building relationships with these providers now, logistics can adapt to ensure continued effectiveness of cold chain distribution as we prepare for the increase of extreme weather.
Only by fostering collaboration between manufacturers, logistics partners and packaging providers can the pharmaceutical industry hope to balance sustainability, cost and reliability in the face of global warming. New technology and AI will be key drivers of this, along with the agility to react fast to any potential disruption.
Companies that prepare now and find the right balance will be more efficient and gain a competitive edge in a market that demands both resilience and responsibility.
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