prodchem
Sep 10, 2026
A new Nature Sustainability study estimates that global petrochemical production generated 2.0 ± 0.8 GtCO₂e in 2023 and models emissions across 81 chemicals and 2,043 manufacturing processes. The analysis offers an important upstream perspective for pharmaceutical manufacturers that purchase petrochemical-derived solvents, intermediates and other chemical inputs.
The study does not measure pharmaceutical manufacturing emissions directly. Its relevance comes from the supply chain: emissions embedded in purchased chemicals can form part of the broader carbon footprint associated with pharmaceutical production.
For procurement teams, this shifts attention beyond the factory gate. Supplier selection, chemical origin, production technology and upstream feedstocks can all influence the environmental profile of purchased ingredients and manufacturing materials.
The study examines 37,379 petrochemical production facilities worldwide and uses a bottom-up model covering 81 large-volume chemicals. Researchers assessed 2,043 manufacturing processes to estimate direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions from production.
The analysis estimates that petrochemical production accounted for 13% of global industrial greenhouse gas emissions and 3.5% of total global greenhouse gas emissions. It also projects that emissions could reach 3.0 ± 1.2 GtCO₂e per year by 2050 under a business-as-usual scenario.
The research divides emissions into several major sources:
Feedstock emissions: These arise from upstream extraction and processing of raw materials used in chemical production.
Indirect energy emissions: These include emissions associated with energy supplied from outside the production facility.
Direct energy emissions: These come from fuel combustion at the chemical manufacturing site.
Direct process emissions: These result from chemical reactions during manufacturing.
This framework matters for pharmaceutical buyers because a chemical's environmental footprint can extend well beyond the facility that produces the final pharmaceutical product.
Many pharmaceutical manufacturing processes depend on chemicals derived from petrochemical value chains. Solvents and intermediates can enter production at different stages, creating upstream emissions that may not appear in the pharmaceutical manufacturer's own operational energy data.
The study reports that 83% of emissions attributed to downstream products represent embodied emissions from upstream primary and intermediate chemical production. This finding highlights why carbon accounting based only on a pharmaceutical plant's direct energy consumption can miss important supply-chain impacts.
For procurement professionals, the implication is practical. The carbon profile of a purchased solvent or intermediate can depend on how its upstream raw materials were produced, what energy sources the facility uses and which production pathway the supplier follows.
A pharmaceutical company therefore needs more than a product specification when evaluating the sustainability profile of a chemical supplier.
Pharmaceutical manufacturers use a wide range of chemical materials across synthesis, purification, formulation, cleaning and other manufacturing activities. Some of these materials originate from petrochemical production networks that connect primary chemicals to intermediate and downstream products.
The study specifically identifies petrochemical-derived solvents among the downstream applications of major chemical building blocks.
Potential procurement exposure can arise through:
Solvent sourcing: Petroleum-derived solvents can carry upstream emissions associated with feedstock extraction, processing and chemical conversion.
Chemical intermediates: Intermediate chemicals can transfer embodied emissions through multiple production stages before reaching a pharmaceutical manufacturer.
Packaging materials: Petrochemical value chains also support materials used throughout industrial packaging and distribution.
Supplier energy use: Two suppliers offering comparable chemicals may have different emissions profiles because of differences in production technology and energy sources.
These factors do not mean that every pharmaceutical product has the same exposure. The impact depends on the specific chemical, production pathway, supplier and accounting boundary used by the manufacturer
The concept of embodied emissions gives procurement teams a way to look beyond the emissions produced directly inside their own facilities. For purchased chemicals, it can include emissions associated with upstream feedstocks and intermediate chemical production.
This matters because the study finds that 45% of petrochemical emissions in its 2020 analysis came from indirect energy use, while another 34% came from feedstock extraction and processing.
The numbers show that upstream activities can represent a substantial part of the industry's overall emissions burden. For pharmaceutical manufacturers, this creates a case for incorporating supplier emissions information into sourcing decisions where reliable data are available.
Procurement teams can begin by asking suppliers for:
Product-level carbon footprint information.
Production origin and manufacturing location.
Major feedstocks used to produce the chemical.
Relevant energy sources and production technologies.
Information on emissions-reduction initiatives at the manufacturing site.
The objective should not be to replace quality, regulatory compliance or supply security with carbon considerations. Instead, carbon performance can become another procurement variable alongside price, consistency and reliability.
Pharmaceutical manufacturers increasingly need visibility into emissions generated outside their own facilities. Purchased chemicals can form part of this broader supply-chain assessment.
A supplier's production footprint can vary significantly depending on its location and manufacturing process. The Nature Sustainability analysis shows that emissions are also highly concentrated, with 10% of facilities accounting for 53% of petrochemical production emissions in the study's cradle-to-gate assessment.
This concentration suggests that supplier-level information can be valuable when companies attempt to identify major emissions hotspots. A procurement team does not necessarily need to assess every chemical supplier with equal intensity.
A more targeted approach can prioritize:
High-volume petrochemical-derived chemicals.
Inputs with limited supplier alternatives.
Chemicals with carbon-intensive production pathways.
Suppliers operating in regions with emissions-intensive energy systems.
Materials that contribute materially to a company's Scope 3 inventory.
This prioritization can make carbon-focused procurement more practical without creating unnecessary administrative work across the entire supplier base.
Geography also matters in the study's findings. China accounted for 37% of global petrochemical production emissions in 2020, according to the modeled assessment.
The study projects that China, the United States and India together could account for 63% of global production emissions in 2050 under its base-case scenario.
For international pharmaceutical buyers, country-level information can provide useful context when assessing supplier emissions. However, procurement teams should avoid treating country of origin as a standalone measure of a chemical's carbon intensity.
Two manufacturers in the same country may use different processes, energy sources and feedstocks. Product-specific information remains more useful than geography alone.
The study provides a stronger basis for discussing carbon intensity during chemical sourcing. It also reinforces the importance of distinguishing between the price of a chemical and the broader environmental characteristics of its production.
For buyers, a useful procurement framework could include three layers:
First, establish the material footprint. Identify which purchased chemicals have meaningful petrochemical content or rely on carbon-intensive upstream processes.
Second, improve supplier visibility. Request emissions data and information about manufacturing pathways from strategic suppliers.
Third, compare commercially viable alternatives. Where specifications allow, assess whether different suppliers, origins or production pathways can reduce emissions without compromising quality or regulatory requirements.
This approach can also support longer-term supplier relationships. Buyers that communicate clear sustainability requirements can give chemical producers greater incentive to improve process efficiency and emissions reporting.
The study argues that petrochemical decarbonization requires several measures rather than one technology. These include energy-efficiency improvements, alternative carbon feedstocks, carbon capture and storage and cleaner fuels for process heat.
That creates opportunities for pharmaceutical supply chains to engage with suppliers rather than focusing exclusively on downstream reporting. If chemical manufacturers reduce the emissions intensity of their production, pharmaceutical customers can potentially benefit from lower upstream footprints for purchased materials.
The research also shows why demand-side decisions matter. Downstream chemical products carry embodied emissions from earlier stages of the production network, so reducing waste, improving material efficiency and selecting lower-impact inputs can contribute to broader supply-chain decarbonization.
For pharmaceutical manufacturers, this makes sustainability a shared responsibility across the chemical value chain.
The new emissions modeling does not change the technical specifications required for pharmaceutical chemicals. It does, however, provide a stronger reason to examine the upstream emissions associated with petrochemical-derived inputs.
Procurement teams can take several practical steps:
Map major chemical inputs: Identify solvents and intermediates with significant petrochemical dependencies.
Request supplier data: Ask strategic suppliers for product carbon footprint information and relevant production details.
Prioritize high-impact materials: Focus detailed assessments on chemicals with large purchasing volumes or potentially intensive production pathways.
Include emissions in supplier reviews: Add environmental performance alongside price, quality, compliance and delivery reliability.
Evaluate alternatives: Where technically and commercially feasible, compare suppliers using different production routes or feedstocks.
Improve internal accounting: Coordinate procurement data with sustainability teams so purchased chemical emissions receive appropriate attention.
The biggest opportunity lies in moving from generic sustainability statements to measurable supplier information. Better data can help pharmaceutical companies identify where procurement decisions have the greatest potential to influence their upstream carbon footprint.
The Nature Sustainability study offers a detailed view of emissions across 81 chemicals and thousands of production processes, showing how much of the petrochemical industry's climate impact occurs upstream of downstream users.
For pharmaceutical manufacturers, the relevance is indirect but commercially important. Petrochemical-derived solvents and intermediates can carry embodied emissions from feedstocks, energy use and earlier chemical conversion stages, making supplier transparency increasingly valuable for carbon accounting.
The next step for procurement teams is to connect purchasing data with supply-chain emissions information. Buyers that combine competitive sourcing with stronger visibility into production pathways will be better positioned to manage both cost and carbon considerations as pharmaceutical sustainability requirements evolve.
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