Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has teamed up with renewable energy innovators Future Biogas to drastically reduce the environmental impact of its manufacturing processes. They're doing it with biomethane, a renewable fuel that offers more than just reduced emissions.
As Energy Digital explained, the two companies brought Moor Bioenergy, the U.K.'s first ever unsubsidized biomethane plant, online in February 2025.
The plant is capable of creating 100 gigawatt-hours of clean energy annually, enough to cover 20% of AstraZeneca's global fuel consumption. In doing so, it will remove 18,000 tons of emissions from the atmosphere every year.
Biomethane is a fascinating fuel source that ironically utilizes planet-warming methane made from the organic decomposition process to ultimately produce clean energy. It has unbelievable potential for reducing global emissions.
Moor Bioenergy sources its biomethane from nearby farmers, boosting the local economy and encouraging sustainable farming. Adding to this, the same crops used in the biomethane process will also absorb carbon themselves.
The healthcare sector is responsible for an estimated 4.6% of global emissions, according to a study published in the journal Health Affairs. Research in the New England Journal of Medicine found the share was slightly larger in the United States, accounting for 8.5% of the nation's carbon pollution.
While AstraZeneca and Moor Bioenergy's efforts don't solve that problem outright, they represent a step in the right direction.
While not every company in the healthcare sector is showing such dedication to environmental progress, many have.
Healthcare clothing company FIGS started a recycling program that offers monetary credit to healthcare professionals who send in their old scrubs. Contact lens company Bausch+Lomb launched a similar recycling program in 2016 and has since kept 450,000 pounds of plastic waste out of landfills.
AstraZeneca is among the biggest pharmaceutical companies on the planet. A healthcare company that large taking significant action to protect the planet can serve as inspiration to others and provide a large-scale blueprint.
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Absolutely 💯 "With the launch of Moor Bioenergy – the U.K.'s first unsubsidised biomethane facility in partnership with AstraZeneca – we are proving that innovation and bold vision can drive real change," CEO of Future Biogas Philipp Lukas said, per Energy Digital.
"This project is not only about generating clean, renewable gas, it's a powerful call to all companies to decarbonise industrial gas and heat use."
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