Life Sciences Outlook 2026 - Environment And Planning

Key points

• The most significant development for the life sciences sector is the emergence of legal challenges to the recast Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, which introduces an extended producer responsibility model requiring producers of human medicines and cosmetics to fund at least 80% of the cost of quaternary water-treatment for micropollutants. The Irish proceedings, together with the parallel challenge taken by the Polish state, mean that the scope and durability of this regime remain under close scrutiny.
• The Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026 introduced targeted reforms to the EPA licensing process, including aspirational decision-making timelines and a limited licence review mechanism. While not transformative, these changes may improve procedural efficiency for pharmaceutical operators seeking to amend or expand existing licensed activities. These reforms have not yet commenced and will need to be subject to a commencement order by the Minister to take