Improved iGAL 2.0 Metric Empowers Pharmaceutical Scientists to Make Meaningful Contributions to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12

The large and steadily growing demand for medicines combined with their inherent resource-intensive manufacturingnecessitates a relentless push for their sustainable production.Pharmaceutical companies are constantly seeking to perform reliablelife cycle assessments of their medicinal products and assess the truevalue of their sustainable development achievements; however, theyfind themselves impeded by the lack of a universal metric systemthat allows for objective quantification of the underlying coredenominators. Guided by the unambivalent purpose of the UnitedNations Sustainable Development Goal 12, which aims atsubstantially reducing production waste by 2030, and driven by avision to catalyze greener active pharmaceutical ingredient (API)manufacturing around the globe, the authors set out to overcomecurrent obstacles by defining an improved model for the metric named innovation green aspiration level, iGAL 2.0. We propose yieldand convergence as new key sustainability indicators and include a new formula for convergence with potential applicability incomputer assisted synthesis planning (CASP) algorithms. The improved statistical model of iGAL 2.0 represents a valuableextension to the common API process waste metrics, process mass intensity (PMI) and complete E factor (cEF), by putting thosemeasures into perspective: iGAL 2.0 enables determination of relative process greenness (RPG) to identify potentiallyunderperforming and environmentally concerning processes early and thereby deliver environmental value. At the same time, iGAL2.0 generates economic value since reduced waste correlates to lower API production costs. The metric is complemented by itsscorecard companion to highlight the impact of innovation on reductions of API manufacturing waste, enabling scientists to readilycommunicate the value of their work to their peers, managers, and the general public. We believe that iGAL 2.0 can readily beadopted by pharmaceuticalfirms around the globe and thereby empower and inspire their scientists to make meaningful and significant contributions to global sustainability