Biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca is entering into a partnership with Vanguard Renewables to deliver renewable natural gas (RNG) to all AstraZeneca sites across the U.S. by the end of 2026, according to the company’s June 13 press release.

AstraZeneca will purchase RNG from Vanguard for its medicine distribution campus in Newark, Delaware beginning in June 2023. The campus packages 26 medicines for distribution across the U.S. and makes medicine formulations for global supply.

AstraZeneca uses heat and power to manufacture medicines, and the decarbonization of medicine manufacturing requires clean sources of heat such as RNG. By the end of 2026, this arrangement is expected to use up to 650,000 MMBtu, or 190,500 megawatt-hour per year of RNG between all of AstraZeneca’s U.S. sites.

“We recognize the interconnection between the health of people and the planet, and are committed to driving deep decarbonization across our operations and value chain,” said Pam Cheng, EVP of global operations and IT, and chief sustainability officer at AZN. “Our innovative partnership with Vanguard Renewables in the U.S. is an illustration of how we are collaborating at scale to deliver sustainable science and medicines, as part of the transition to net zero health systems and a circular economy.”

AstraZeneca's partnership with Vanguard will allow the company to obtain high quality RNG from three on-farm anaerobic digester facilities across the U.S. for at least 15 years. The process will utilize the Vanguard Renewables Farm Powered process, which allows for the production of RNG from food and dairy cow manure. As the RNG is produced and captured, it will be made available for use in the company’s medications and manufacturing processes.

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