Decarbonisation Case Studies | Terrascope

iNova Pharmaceuticals: Gaining Competitive Edge through Carbon Intelligence

Written by Terrascope Team | Jun 27, 2025 11:08:45 AM

PRODUCT IMPLEMENTED

Corporate Carbon Footprinting (CCF)
Product Carbon Footprinting (PCF)
Transition Planning 
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Reporting

HQ

Downtown Core, Singapore

INDUSTRY

Pharmaceuticals

COMPANY SIZE

Operations across 14 countries
500-1000 employees

KEY RESULTS
  • Audit-Ready Carbon Baseline: iNova Pharmaceuticals achieved a full Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions measurement for FY’23, building a credible foundation for climate disclosures and year-on-year performance tracking.
  • Product-Level Insights: Leveraged Terrascope’s AI-powered platform to enable targeted decarbonization strategies at the product level.
  • Benchmarking for Strategic Direction: Emissions benchmarking against pharmaceutical industry peers to inform iNova’s sustainability roadmap with comparative performance insights.
  • Bespoke Reporting Assistance for International Packaging Regulations: Facilitated data collection and analysis to support packaging data submissions for Australia, Singapore, and Vietnam and compliance with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations.
  • Cost-Benefit Modelling: Terrascope delivered a quantitative evaluation of decarbonization levers, allowing iNova to support informed decision making taking into account operational costs, regulatory compliance, and emissions reduction.
  • Future-Focused Action Plan: Armed with granular insights and platform-enabled visibility iNova has launched its FY’24 measurement cycle with an expanded business scope to analyze and define actionable pathways to drive Scope 3 reductions based on FY’23 insights.

About iNova Pharmaceuticals

iNova Pharmaceuticals is a global specialty pharmaceutical company with operations across Asia, Australasia, Middle East, Europe and Africa. The company manages a diverse portfolio of over 1,100 SKUs, with products spanning key therapeutic areas including throat, cough, cold & flu, wound care, skin care, pain management, and weight management among others.  iNova Pharmaceuticals has a unique operating model, partnering with leading third-party manufacturers to supply products to over 75 markets around the world. iNova Group companies are responsible for product stewardship, distribution, and regulatory compliance across its operations. With rising stakeholder demand for climate disclosures together with increasing regulatory complexity, iNova sought to strengthen its carbon management capability, particularly around Scope 3 emissions, to ensure it remains competitive and compliant in a rapidly evolving sustainability landscape.

 

The Challenge 

While iNova had already taken meaningful steps towards sustainability, it recognized the need for more robust systems and higher data fidelity to manage its carbon footprint at a more granular level. Initial approaches—relying on spend-based estimates and static datasets —provided only high-level insights, limiting visibility into product- or supplier-specific emission drivers. This presented an opportunity for internal teams to better identify emissions focus areas and prioritize decarbonization strategies. 

At the same time, as a leading healthcare company iNova is navigating an increasingly complex regulatory landscape, with evolving EPR requirements across different countries - each with distinct reporting standards and compliance expectations. To meet these demands and drive substantive progress, iNova saw the value in establishing a consolidated, audit-ready emissions baseline and adopting a dynamic platform to track sustainability performance. This shift aims to overcome data silos, improve operational visibility, and strengthen stakeholder confidence.  

The Terrascope Solution

Terrascope implemented a comprehensive emissions measurement and management solution that enabled iNova to gain better clarity over its carbon footprint and regulatory exposure. The engagement began with a full-scope emissions assessment across FY’23, covering Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 categories. Using AI-powered matching of activity data to over 50,000 emission factors, Terrascope mapped emissions across iNova’s 700+ SKUs, generating high-fidelity estimates based on modelled data. This approach minimizes reliance on extensive primary data collection, while remaining aligned with recognized carbon accounting standards. This was complemented by a dynamic dashboard that allowed iNova to visualize emissions by product, business unit, geography, and scope—enabling cross-functional teams to move from static reporting to decision-useful analysis.

Fig 1. iNova's emission inventory benchmarked against industry competitors

Beyond measurement, Terrascope conducted a peer benchmarking study to assess how iNova’s emissions profile compared to other pharmaceutical companies with similar business models. This revealed that Scope 3 accounted for 99% of iNova’s total footprint, aligning with industry norms. It also highlighted key opportunities for targeted greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction based on peer performance.

As part of growing EPR regulations worldwide, iNova also needed to comply with packaging reporting mandates in several key markets. Terrascope worked closely with its strategic partner, Ricardo PLC, to support iNova in preparing sales and packaging data for regulatory reporting in Singapore, Vietnam, and Australia. This included compiling FY’24 sales volumes and packaging weights for primary, secondary, and tertiary layers, segmented by material type — such as paper, cardboard, plastics, and aluminium. This collaborative effort ensured iNova was both regulatory-compliant and strategically informed about packaging-related emissions and risks.

Finally, the platform modelled a cost-benefit analysis of various decarbonization levers based on FY’23 baseline — enabling iNova to assess return on investment across potential interventions, including packaging substitutions and transport optimization.

 

The Impact 

Terrascope’s work provided iNova with its first complete, audit-ready carbon emissions baseline. Through SKU-level analysis, packaging emerged as a key emissions driver, while transportation-related emissions — especially from specific shipments — also surfaced as major contributors. These results offer clear direction for optimizing routes and supplier choices to support carbon reduction efforts. 
Benchmarking insights underscored the importance of aligning emissions intensity with industry’s best practices. These findings enabled the company to explore a broader scope of potential interventions.

Collaboration between Terrascope and Ricardo also enabled iNova to navigate packaging compliance requirements across multiple jurisdictions with greater confidence. These insights also opened pathways for emissions reduction and operational efficiency.

Armed with these insights, iNova has initiated its FY’24 measurement cycle, now broadened to reflect its expanded business footprint following a recent acquisition. This includes a wider range of products and a more extensive supply chain. The company is also assessing potential opportunities to evolve packaging formats and logistics strategies to further reduce emissions, while continuing to analyze a prioritized group of suppliers for collaborative decarbonization opportunities. By embedding Terrascope into its operational and sustainability workflows, iNova is advancing from reactive compliance to a more proactive, data-driven approach to carbon management – reinforcing its position in an increasingly climate-conscious industry.