Starting 2026, IQS has had the pleasure of welcoming Dr. Joachim Krüger, Head Drug Substance Small Molecules at Bayer AG. Dr. Krüger delivered a lecture to a full auditorium under the title “Sustainability as a game-changer in process chemistry”, in which he shared his extensive experience on ‘How Green Chemistry meets Industry’.
“Tech Transfer from Academia towards Industry is one of the essential contributions for a Green Chemistry foundation”
Interview to Dr. Joachim Krüger from Bayer AG
The event was organized by the UNIJES Reference Research Centre in Environment and Ecology, a centre led by IQS to respond to the fourth Universal Apostolic Preferences (PAUs), the Caring for a Common Home, through research, technology transfer, education, and social engagement.
In his conference, Dr. Krüger highlighted how Sustainability has rapidly evolved into a central priority for the Life Science Industry. Green chemistry technologies now play a crucial role in reducing the carbon footprint of active ingredients, gaining efficiency and reshaping how manufacturing processes are conceived. “Innovative Chemistry and Engineering are the main keys to develop fast and sustainable access to life-changing medicines”, said Dr. Krüger.
In this conversation, we further explore the current landscape of Green Chemistry and its impact for society.
Dr. Krüger, what has been your experience introducing Green Chemistry in a multinational pharmaceutical company?
Personally, I am very pleased to be applying the principles of Green Chemistry, because it truly pays off! Green Chemistry has been recognized as a strategic field for industry and it is a continuous improvement journey, which will be never ended. Much of it is connected to mindset: how we approach challenges, rethink practices and commit to efficiency and protecting our environment.
“Green Chemistry is a continuous improvement journey which will be never ended”
Do you think that Green Chemistry is still ‘in vogue’? What are the newest trends?
Green Chemistry is absolutely a top subject, composed of many areas. These are, amongst others: catalysis and biocatalysis, solvents replacement and recycling, improved reaction efficiency and exploring new chemical routes with beneficial indicators. You need to combine all the elements to be successful to drive more efficient, sustainable processes. This is why both Academia and Industry need to understand Green Chemistry and further develop the principles in active collaborations. It is a broad field, and some scientists may not even realize they are working on Green Chemistry, e.g. when solving catalysis problems. So, the answer is yes, Green Chemistry is definitively in vogue.
As for new trends, I would highlight Biocatalysis, research in Electrochemistry, and point to Continuous Manufacturing, as particularly exciting areas.
“Biocatalysis, Electrochemistry and Continuous Manufacturing could be some of the technology trends”
Let’s talk about the 12 principles of Green Chemistry dated back to 1998. Are they still valid? Are they subject to interpretation, or are they always mandatory rules?
That’s a good point, yes! The 12 Green Chemistry principles remain a relevant and valuable framework to be considered. However, in practice, one must negotiate along the way what can be done, what must be done, and what ideally should be done. Because projects operate always within a business context of timelines, deliverables and resources, so trade-offs must be considered.
But the principles remain as they are, with room for interpretation and adaptation beneath the surface.
What opportunities does Green Chemistry provide to industry?
Talent, coming mainly from Academia, is one of the greatest opportunities. Academic scientists bring the mindset, the technologies and the capabilities to achieve the objectives. Advanced technologies are essential, and you have many examples of excellence here, at IQS. More important, everything is connected and every aspect is a small piece, which contributes to the overall picture. In the end you need to orchestrate all the individual elements to be successful.
“Advanced technologies and talent are one of the most important opportunities”
Related to that, what does Industry need from universities like IQS?
We expect to find the advanced technical solutions we need, for example in fields like electrochemistry or photochemistry, already developed at a mature stage. When we have an industrial project, we cannot initiate basic research, we need mature technology platforms that are application-ready. And Academia is the ideal environment to develop these technological platforms. If Industry has to invent the technology itself, the process will be too lengthy and expensive.
“Industry needs mature technology platforms coming from Academia to apply as soon as possible”
Technology transfer from Academia towards Industry is one of the essential contributions for a green chemistry foundation.
What challenges does Chemistry in Industry currently face?
Chemistry has an acceptance problem in society. This is especially true for areas that affect all of us such as agrochemicals. You witness debates around the use of crop protection for food production and the arguments become less fact driven and in part driven by emotions.
We chemists need to tell our successful stories much better in a language that reaches the people, who judge critically on chemistry. And this is not only for industry, it is also for academia: Who likes to study Chemistry nowadays?
Beyond indicators of sustainability such as Process Mass Intensity (PMI), should some other metrics, such as social benefit, be considered in life sciences?
Sustainability is a much broader term and we must consider both environmental and social aspects as part of the same equation… For example, Bayer has the goal to provide access to modern contraception for 100 million women in low and middle income countries by 2030. Sustainability and Social benefit must be connected, as part of a Corporate Responsibility linked to the company´s expertise.
In your lecture, one of the main challenges in process chemistry was Digitalization. What role will Artificial Intelligence have towards more sustainable processes?
Artificial Intelligence will significantly enhance getting the processes right the first time, requiring less iterative optimization to get to the objective. This means fewer experiments in the lab, fewer resources, reduced waste, and being faster.
Artificial intelligence will also help to better predict the behaviour at plant-scale, enabling a faster scale-up or tech transfers of more mature and reliable manufacturing processes. Every failure avoided means saving time, materials and resources.