Aspire Impact has unveiled a comprehensive ESG Performance Framework designed to reshape sustainability standards across the pharmaceutical industry. Launched in New Delhi, the report titled Healthcare: An ESG Performance Framework was developed under the Capgemini-backed Impact Future Project and co-led by Aspire Circle and Aspire Impact. The event was supported by Quadria Capital and HealthQuad, and brought together senior leaders from top pharmaceutical firms, policymakers, and ESG experts including representatives from Lupin, Zydus Lifesciences, Cipla, and Sun Pharma.

The framework features 80 universal and 27 pharma-specific ESG indicators, offering a practical tool to assess industry-specific risks such as antimicrobial resistance (AMR), biomedical waste, fragile supply chains, and unequal access to affordable medicines. Importantly, the structure distinguishes between ESG risks and opportunities—moving beyond generic sustainability ratings to deliver nuanced performance metrics.

Key ESG risks highlighted for pharma include climate vulnerabilities, energy consumption, workforce burnout, and data governance gaps—issues laid bare during the pandemic. However, the framework also underscores growth opportunities in digital health, ethical sourcing, green chemistry, and government-backed access programmes like Jan Aushadhi.

Significantly, performance metrics such as WHO prequalification, AMR mitigation efforts, and access indicators under national schemes have been embedded into the model—offering pharmaceutical investors and operators measurable benchmarks for decision-making.

Rahul Agarwal, Partner at HealthQuad, noted, “This framework fills a critical gap by replacing vague ESG claims with specific, actionable metrics. It equips the pharma ecosystem to operate with greater transparency and accountability.”

This is the third release in a 12-part sectoral ESG series by Aspire Impact. A digital platform, IKOOWorld, is also set to launch to enable companies to perform self-assessments or assured ESG evaluations.

Contributors to the research include ESG leads from Fortis, Biocon, Lupin, Jubilant Ingrevia, Cipla, Zydus, and NephroPlus, reflecting a collaborative push to embed sustainability at the core of India’s pharma growth story.