CPHI Milan Puts Sustainability to Work, Part 1

In part one of PharmTech’s interview with Silvia Forroova, who leads partnerships and sustainability for the CPHI portfolio at Informa Markets, she discusses the origins and goals of the CPHI Sustainability Collective, which she founded after noticing pharma companies pursuing ambitious sustainability targets in isolation from one another. The summit will launch at CPHI Milan, which is being held from October 6-8.

According to Forroova, sustainability has shifted from a competitive differentiator to a baseline requirement. Regulators, including the European Medicines Agency,¹ have guidelines for environmental risk assessments in product authorizations, investors increasingly scrutinize Scope 3 emissions, and patients and healthcare systems are requiring greener medicines.² Despite this pressure, knowledge sharing across the industry remains fragmented: companies often duplicate efforts, and persistent gaps exist in data collection, supplier engagement, and cross-functional collaboration.

Forroova sees the CPHI Sustainability Summit as a tool for closing these gaps by shifting conversation from rationale to execution. The summit serves 3 functions: creating a candid space for dialogue where genuine collaboration can emerge; bringing together stakeholders in the value chain; and driving accountability by helping attendees translate connections and insights into concrete action, including through a hackathon format at the event.

The event will include buyers, suppliers, green chemistry experts, packaging innovators, supply chain strategists, and regulatory specialists, and overall, the 3-day exhibition is expected to have 60,000–70,000 attendees.

The summit's ambition, according to Forroova, is to extend beyond a traditional conference, aiming instead to be a catalyst for cocreated, commercially viable sustainability solutions across the pharmaceutical industry.

Click the video above to watch the interview.

References

1. Environmental risk assessment of medicinal products for human use - Scientific guideline. European Medicines Agency. Accessed August 11, 2026. https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/environmental-risk-assessment-medicinal-products-human-use-scientific-guideline#current-version-effective-from-1092024-7647
2. Sustainability in the pharmaceutical industry. ABPI. Accessed August 11, 2026. https://www.abpi.org.uk/reputation/sustainability-in-the-pharmaceutical-industry/

About the Speaker

Silvia Forroova is the director of Partnerships & Sustainability for the CPHI portfolio at Informa Markets. With more than 18 years of experience in global events, she specializes in strategic partnerships within the pharmaceutical industry.

Silvia leads sustainability initiatives across the CPHI portfolio of events, developing strategies that drive positive environmental impact for trade events and the wider pharmaceutical industry. She is also the founder of the Sustainability Collective, an impact network that brings together change-makers from across the pharmaceutical industry to foster collaboration, share insights, and drive tangible progress on sustainability challenges.