Angelini Pharma S.p.A. is a leading Italian pharmaceutical company. With Scope 3.1 (Purchased Goods & Services) representing the majority of its total emissions, and Scope 1 and 2 reduction targets already in place, the company engaged Quantis to design and implement a comprehensive sustainable procurement strategy, to work towards a Scope 3 decarbonization target. Building on over four years of collaboration across carbon footprinting, climate strategy, life cycle assessments, and ecodesign, the project translated corporate decarbonization ambitions into a structured, science-based approach to supplier engagement and procurement operations.
Challenge
Angelini Pharma’s supply chain of more than 5,000 active suppliers presented significant complexity: heavy reliance on spend-based emission factors introduced high year-on-year variability, and category-specific dynamics across APIs, packaging, and solvents made prioritization difficult. The company had no formal Responsible Procurement Policy, and existing EcoVadis coverage, while a useful starting point, did not yet provide a clear picture of supplier carbon maturity or the gap to science-based targets. To understand and monitor these, the Procurement Team needed to embed processes to incorporate sustainability considerations into day-to-day sourcing decisions, with the right tools.
At the same time, evolving regulatory requirements including CSRD, CS3D, and PPWR were increasing pressure on pharmaceutical companies to disclose and reduce supply chain emissions, making a structured, actionable approach increasingly urgent.
Solutions
Quantis developed Angelini Pharma’s Sustainable Procurement strategy in three steps.
First, Quantis reviewed the company’s 2024 Corporate Carbon Footprint to identify Scope 3.1 hotspots and data gaps, and prioritized suppliers based on a combined score of emissions contribution, spend, and emission factor quality. This included benchmarking peer pharmaceutical companies’ sustainable procurement strategies and supporting the launch of a targeted supplier data request campaign to improve Scope 3 calculation quality.
Second, using data from EcoVadis assessments and the SBTi Target Dashboard, Quantis developed a carbon maturity scorecard methodology to assess prioritized suppliers and quantify the gap between current supplier trajectories and SBTi-aligned ambitions. Category-specific improvement pathways were developed for each performance tier.
Third, Quantis operationalized the strategy by drafting a Responsible Procurement Policy and integrating climate criteria including carbon-risk flags, minimum data thresholds, and category-specific carbon weights across onboarding, sourcing, vendor evaluation, and contract management. Carbon performance criteria were integrated into Procurement team’s individual goals, and the project delivered a full procurement playbook and training package to be used by the function.
Sustainable Procurement can easily remain a strategic aspiration without the right analytical foundation and operational tools to make it real. Together with Quantis we understood where our Scope 3 emissions actually sit across our supplier base, quantify the gap to science-based ambitions, and translate that into processes and accountability mechanisms that our Procurement team can apply every day.”
Stefano Germini, Head of Sustainability, Angelini Pharma S.p.A.
Results
Angelini Pharma now has a validated picture of where its Scope 3.1 emissions are concentrated across its supplier base, which suppliers to prioritize for engagement, and the gap between current supplier trajectories and science-based ambitions. This gives the company a clear foundation for setting credible Scope 3 targets and directing supplier engagement efforts where they will have most impact.
At the operational level, procurement teams have the processes, tools, and accountability mechanisms to act on sustainability in day-to-day sourcing decisions. Climate criteria are embedded across procurement procedures from onboarding through to contract management, buyers have category-specific improvement pathways to guide supplier engagement, and MBO-linked accountability supports consistent application over time.
Together, this positions Angelini Pharma to respond proactively to regulatory requirements such as CSRD and CDP, and to progressively strengthen supply chain decarbonization performance toward its long-term targets.
We wanted to source responsibly and engage our suppliers, but it wasn’t exactly easy to understand where to start. Now we know which suppliers to focus on, what to ask them for, and how to support them and track their progress, pragmatically supporting the company’s ambitions. It’s not a separate task, it’s just part of how we work day-to-day.”
Michele Perini, Energy, Environment & Sustainable Procurement Senior Manager, Angelini Pharma S.p.A.
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