With rising demand and complexity, the need for robust, connected, and sustainable cold chain solutions has never been greater. Pharmaceutical logistics is entering its next phase of resilience and sustainability, and Delphine Perridy, CCO at Envirotainer, explores how technology, geopolitical tension, and climate change have all contributed to this significant transformation.
With the frequency of extreme weather events and geopolitical disruptions rising, how is the industry building greater resilience into its temperature-sensitive logistics operations?
The pharmaceutical industry is currently battling the consequences of both geopolitical disruption and global warming. The increasing unpredictability caused by both is contributing to higher pharmaceutical costs and increased risk.
Medicines often pass through regions with varying temperatures and differing infrastructure availability. With these variables in mind, and with global warming increasing the volatility and extremity of climates, finding suitable logistics and packaging solutions has become significantly more difficult.
Maintaining the robustness and resilience of cold chain operations in the face of these disruptions remains critical. One way the pharmaceutical industry is achieving this is by continually improving visibility. With predictive analytics, AI is now helping to foresee disruptions, such as weather delays, ensuring that temperature-sensitive medicines are delivered on time and that disruptions are minimised. Pharmaceutical companies are also using AI to analyse data provided by sensors on cargo containers to improve processes and manage risk.
What role have recent technological innovations played in improving risk management, resilience, and sustainability across the pharma supply chain?
Pharmaceutical organisations are continuously adopting innovations alongside new technologies and real-time monitoring solutions entering the market. For example, logistics providers have been adopting digital technologies, ranging from IoT and blockchain to AI, to enhance transparency, efficiency, and reliability.
Real-time monitoring has become increasingly integrated into the pharma supply chain, enabling greater visibility to reduce risk and ensure product efficacy when medicines reach the end patient. AI adoption remains a gradual but effective process. Currently, AI-driven insights are being used to determine the most cost-effective and sustainable packaging options by considering all variables, including temperature requirements, climates, and available infrastructure.
By providing AI systems with real-time data on transportation conditions, such as weather patterns, temperature fluctuations, and route conditions, companies can determine the most sustainable and efficient route and mode of transport. Additionally, pharmaceutical organisations are using this technology to predict demand, minimising overall waste of pharmaceuticals and other supplies.
Which new trade lanes or emerging regions are expected to become significant for pharmaceutical logistics, and why?
Ensuring access to pharmaceuticals across the entire globe is a key focus for the industry. New trade lanes continue to emerge, but reaching underserved regions remains a challenge. However, innovations are continuously being adopted to simplify these routes, making it increasingly possible to reach these regions. For continued advancement, cost optimisation, risk management, and sustainability are key.
Specialised, individualised treatments have also become increasingly popular. This trend involves low volumes, often small parcels of very high-value shipments, moved over shorter distances and requiring ultra-low temperatures, sometimes as low as -150°C. Driven by customer and patient demand, trade lanes will continue to adapt to this trend.
To meet the demand, pharmaceutical companies are increasingly turning to long-term partnerships with CDMOs and CMOs. Strategic partnerships enable pharmaceutical companies to access established manufacturing networks and regulatory expertise more rapidly than developing these capabilities internally. The increasing complexity of global regulatory requirements is also driving the need for partners with proven track records across multiple jurisdictions.
Looking ahead, the industry’s focus continues to be on smarter packaging, agile supply routes, and solutions that address the growing complexity of global healthcare demands.
How has IATA CEIV Pharma or GDP certification influenced operations and partnerships in 2025? Does certification still offer a competitive edge, or has it become a standard baseline?
A significant recent change is the trend towards GDP and CEIV certifications being viewed as baseline requirements, whereas they previously provided organisations with a competitive advantage. The value and volume of the pharmaceuticals being shipped have made certification critical, with rigid procedures and quality systems now being viewed as just as essential as the correct equipment.
Looking ahead to 2030, what do you foresee as the biggest transformations in pharmaceutical air freight, and how should companies prepare for the next decade of change?
The demand for temperature-controlled air cargo will continue to rise, with the pharmaceutical industry remaining the primary driver of volume. The market has seen significant transformation, and this will not slow down as we approach 2030. The focus is shifting towards a more structural, long-term demand pattern, particularly as biopharma companies expand global clinical trial footprints, launch more temperature-sensitive biologics, and adopt direct-to-patient delivery models.
It is clear the pharmaceutical cold chain is quickly becoming a cornerstone of global supply chains, with the focus for the next five years being on smart packaging, agile supply routes, and solutions that address the growing complexity of global healthcare demands.
AI will continue to be one of the biggest drivers of transformation in pharmaceutical air freight. In the future, AI-driven automation, from autonomous warehouses to self-optimising logistics networks, has the potential to further streamline operations and drive cost efficiency.
Finally, the industry will continue to recognise the value of collaboration. Future preparedness will centre around partnerships between manufacturers, importers, distributors, and equipment providers to ensure that sustainability, cost, and accessibility can be balanced in the face of global warming and the next geopolitical tension. 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.
