Germany, France, Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands account for up to 68% of trade in pharmaceutical products in the EU-27. This is outlined in a report prepared by Logista Freight, Logista's long-haul, full-load transport subsidiary. It analyses the pharma sector’s trade relations within the European Union, a market that moves 3.3 million tonnes per year, amounting to more than 250 billion euros.
Logista Freight
The report gives an overview of the main trade flows among Member States, with trade from Ireland to Belgium, from Germany to the Netherlands and from the Netherlands to Germany in the top positions. The results of this assessment confirm the concentration of the sector in the European Union, as 15 of the 20 main points of origin and destination are found in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and France, forming an important trader cluster in its supply chain.
“We want to provide a comprehensive overview of how pharmaceutical trade is moving in Europe and identify the major freight corridors and the trends that will revolutionise the future. Our aim is to offer stakeholders in the industry a useful tool to optimise their strategies in a market that’s as dynamic and complex as this one”, said Álvaro González-Escalada, general manager of Logista Freight.
The study delves into production and distribution in the sector, breaking down data to show the dominance of the finished pharmaceutical product (FPP) segment – which accounts for nearly two out of every three movements in the industry – and that road transport, which comprises more than 93% of logistics flows in the EU-27, reigns supreme.
What's more, the report offers a detailed analysis of each country, describing which products are exported and imported, their main trading partners and the most used modes of transport in these flows. This information provides laboratories, distribution companies and all operators involved in the health industry with an accurate picture of the logistics and trade structure of the pharmaceutical market in Europe.
Logista Freight is a logistics company that specialises in long-haul logistics. It has one of the most extensive, most specialised and technologically advanced infrastructure and transport networks on the continent.
It manages a fleet of more than 1,400 vehicles and provides services across all countries of the EU. Local customer management is done through a network of its own subsidiaries in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Germany, Romania, the Czech Republic and Poland.
It has on-board equipment, a revolutionary integration of safety and temperature control systems, and a proprietary technology platform that optimises routes to minimise empty kilometre driving, thus reducing the carbon footprint.
A commitment to sustainability
For the ninth straight year, Logista has maintained its leading position in the CDP, which recognises top global companies in the fight against climate change. Logista is the only European logistics company that has been in this category during this period.
In May 2024, Logista’s firm commitment to sustainability was also recognised by Sustainalytics, one of the leaders in Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Governance assessments worldwide. After assessing the company's ESG criteria, it was given an ESG risk rating of 16.5 points, and it is therefore considered to be at Low Risk of experiencing material financial impacts due to ESG factors. It was accredited as an Industry TOP RATED 2024 – which recognises its excellent performance in its sector beyond Sustainalytics’ comprehensive research universe – garnering one of the top 50 ratings in the transport industry.
As a result of its firm commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility, Logista is among the leaders in the sector yet another year, after being given an A rating by MSCI – whose ratings range from AAA to CCC – in 2024.
Likewise, the company has also taken part in the Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA), the S&P corporate sustainability assessment. In February 2024, once again, Logista was recognised by Financial Times as a “leader in diversity” and in April 2024, EcoVadis awarded Logista with the bronze medal for its sustainability performance.
Logista is also part of the FTSE4Good IBEX index, which is made up of companies that demonstrate sound environmental, social and corporate governance practices, and Ibex Gender Equality. It was listed in the Ibex 35 in 2022.