Inside CPHI Milan’s New Sustainability Summit

Industry leaders, innovators and ambitious startups will once again gather at CPHI Milan in October 2026 to discuss the most pressing challenges and opportunities affecting the pharmaceutical supply chain. While 2025 was a success attracting 62 thousand attendees and over 2,900 exhibitors representing over 166 countries, the 2026 event aims to give sustainability its well-deserved spotlight with a new, discussion-focused event: the CPHI Sustainability Summit.

Introducing the CPHI Sustainability Summit

A two-day collaborative platform designed exclusively for pharmaceutical industry professionals committed to accelerating sustainable transformation across the entire value chain, the new CPHI Sustainability Summit is a forum for meaningful dialogue and knowledge exchange.

Taking place at Fiera Milano from October 6-7, while CPHI Milan runs from October 6-8, the summit will bring together 300+ sustainability stakeholders and pharma decision-makers for 20+ roundtables, interactive discussions and peer-to-peer working groups led by industry experts. The goal is to drive sustainable practices, which is why every session will be action-orientated to drive collaborative problem-solving and strategic alignment.

Contract Pharma recently caught up with Silvia Forroova, Director of Partnerships & Sustainability at CPHI and founder of the CPHI Sustainability Collective, for a conversation in which she discussed the purpose of the Sustainability Summit at CPHI Milan 2026, and why it matters for the pharmaceutical industry.

Contract Pharma: What inspired CPHI to launch a dedicated Sustainability Summit now?

Silvia Forroova: For many years, sustainability has been a core focus of our CPHI events. It has been a regular subject of conversation in our talks, in the work of our Sustainability Collective, and in how we design and organize the event itself.

However, we believe that it is time for a wider discussion about sustainability within the industry. Sustainability is now at an inflection point, as regulators worldwide expect increased focus on factors such as environmental risk assessments and more sustainable packaging.

At the same time, the industry as a whole is contending with regulatory complexity, short-term financial pressures and opacity throughout its supply chains. So the conversation we need to have now, as an industry, is how to solve the challenges that prevent or slow the integration of sustainability across the value chain. Teams cannot achieve this by acting in silos.

We introduced our Sustainability Summit this year for that very reason. We believe every delegate has experience or insight that can inform discussions around sustainability, and that bringing together people with a range of skills and expertise is the best way to devise innovative, considered solutions. That is why the Summit focuses on collaboration and translating conversation into action.

CP: How does the Summit connect with the ongoing work of the CPHI Sustainability Collective?

Forroova: We are immensely proud of the work that the Sustainability Collective has undertaken so far. We launched the Collective two years ago because we recognized gaps in the industry’s understanding and integration of sustainability, and we believed it was important to build a platform for industry leaders to discuss opportunities and share knowledge.

In the two years since, we have benefitted from the unique perspectives of many different experts, each bringing their own experience to the conversation. As a result, we have explored a number of challenges facing organizations across our industry, from reducing Scope 3 emissions to improving supplier transparency.

The purpose of the Summit is to start an open dialogue around these themes, in which delegates from many different business functions contribute their ideas and experience. By engaging a broader range of stakeholders, we can identify friction and conflict, opportunities for collaboration and innovative solutions developed through meaningful collaboration.

The Summit’s most important goal is to ensure that delegates translate their ideas and connections into action. The event’s design builds accountability in, and delegates are encouraged to make tangible pledges and report back on their progress. Our Sustainability Collective will also play a key role in maintaining that momentum. It will track achievements and partnerships that emerge or advance throughout the year, and help delegates stay connected to the issues and initiatives that engaged their enthusiasm during the Summit.

CP: What kinds of attendees will get the most value from the Summit?

Forroova: One of the most interesting things about sustainability right now is that it is not limited to a particular role or function. If you are involved in the pharmaceutical industry, you have likely been part of a discussion or challenge related to sustainability. Sustainability today influences everything from investment decisions to supply chain design, manufacturing, procurement and regulatory compliance.

Many people in the industry focus on delivering more sustainable practices and championing sustainable thinking. We look forward to meeting and learning from them in Milan. However, the real value of the Summit is that we expect to hear from experts across the value chain. This will give us a more complete insight into the challenges and friction that exist, and help us better understand how to embed sustainability more effectively into real-world operations.

We believe anyone working in the industry can gain something from attending the Summit. A dedicated sustainability professional can build partnerships with industry leaders who are keen to explore sustainability within their organizations. Industry professionals can discover how integrating sustainability can address existing challenges within their teams, and how to do so while minimizing risk and cost. Innovative leaders can work with others to devise new approaches and build a plan to deliver them in their organizations after the Summit.

Integrating sustainability is a shared responsibility. However, if achieved, it will also benefit everyone involved.

CP: What networking or collaboration opportunities should attendees expect?

Forroova: We have designed this year’s Summit to encourage candid conversation in every session. This means that delegates should approach the event with a willingness to be open and collaborative.

A key thing we have learned from our work with the Sustainability Collective over the last two years is that many companies face similar challenges. Some may have advanced further than others, and may be adopting different approaches, but there is an opportunity to pool knowledge and experience and develop solutions that benefit the industry as a whole.

Collaboration is vital to creating and sustaining these solutions. For example, reducing Scope 3 emissions requires cooperation between manufacturers and suppliers, and suppliers must understand the wider industry’s priorities and needs before they can confidently invest in tailored services and technologies.

The Summit gives delegates the opportunity to explore important sustainability challenges together. This, in turn, provides potential solutions they can bring back to their teams. It delivers actionable insights into emerging opportunities and market gaps. It helps them identify suppliers or partners to work with on their most pressing issues and gives them greater visibility into the obstacles other companies face and how they are addressing them.

The Summit also runs alongside a wider event. Nearly 3,000 companies are represented at CPHI Milan 2026, including experts in technology, contamination control, packaging, manufacturing and green chemistry. By participating in open, candid dialogue, delegates can gain greater clarity on the support and technologies they need to achieve their aims and connect with one or more suitable partners with the skills to help them progress.

CP: Which sustainability challenges in pharma do you expect to generate the most discussion?

Forroova: Discussion about sustainability practices and approaches in the industry is now becoming increasingly practical. In discussions with investors, patients, healthcare providers and regulators, talk about sustainability has shifted from exploring “why” to considering “how.”

However, implementing these measures effectively in a competitive industry remains challenging and requires broad cooperation between different teams. For example, reducing Scope 3 emissions remains a major priority for regulators and investors. Achieving this requires organizations to think beyond individual achievement and focus instead on industry-wide collaboration across complex supply chains.

We expect delegates will also be highly focused on the challenge of improving supply chain transparency. This remains a pain point worldwide, whether companies operate in the USA, India, Europe or China. Regulatory compliance is also a key consideration, as companies attempt to navigate fragmented and variable regulatory environments worldwide.

At a more local level, energy mix and infrastructure are important themes. For example, while markets such as Europe benefit from more established renewable energy infrastructure, other regions face different energy transition timelines, manufacturing scale and government priorities. Supplier maturity also remains an issue.

We have designed a broad program this year, with more than 20 expert-led sessions designed to reflect the priorities and challenges of today’s organizations. Our aim is to encourage delegates to explore these challenges honestly and collaboratively, and to discover how many of them can be addressed if we all share our expertise and experience and build solutions together.