OCTOBER 28, 2025

When Transparency Saves Lives: Rethinking How We Share Data in Air Pharma

Highlights from the IATA Cargo Experts Panel

At the IATA Cargo Experts Conference (PHARMA), Bourji Mourad, Director, Global Leasing & Market Development, ThermoSafe, led a dynamic panel exploring one of the cold chain’s most persistent challenges – how to foster real collaboration and transparency across the pharmaceutical logistics ecosystem.

Joining Bourji were Stavros Evangelakakis, Chairman of the Cool Chain Association; Wim Rauws, Global Air Logistics Healthcare Products at Kuehne+Nagel; and Clariss Kaya, Strategic Account Manager at Envirotainer

Together, they unpacked both the progress and friction points shaping the next chapter of air cargo’s temperature-controlled logistics.

Collaboration: Beyond the Buzzword

“Collaboration” has become an industry mantra – but is it more than a slogan?

Stavros opened candidly: “We hear collaboration, we hear transparency… but do we actually know what it means?” He reflected on the pandemic as a rare moment when competition paused, and the industry truly worked together to move urgent vaccines across continents at record speed.

“During COVID, forwarders collaborated with other forwarders, airlines with airlines. Everyone worked together – and it was amazing. The question is, how can we keep that spirit alive when the crisis ends?”

The panel agreed that the will to collaborate exists – but in a commercial world, incentives and boundaries often pull in opposite directions. As Bourji noted, “We’re all in the business to make money. So how do we reconcile collaboration with competition?”

Transparency: The Currency of Trust

For collaboration to work, transparency must come first. Wim Rauws emphasized that trust is built when stakeholders are open about how they operate – their processes, capabilities, and the quality measures behind them.

“Transparency is what gives confidence throughout the supply chain – from shipper to forwarder to airline,” he said. “We document, audit, and verify. That’s how we make sure we do what we say and say what we do.”

Transparency also builds resilience. The pandemic, natural disasters, and cyberattacks have all shown how fragile data systems and logistics networks can be. Resilient supply chains require visibility at every step – and readiness when one link fails.

Data Sharing: The Double-Edged Sword

Digitalization and data analytics are now key enablers of transparency. But as the panel discussed, data sharing is also one of the industry’s biggest sticking points.

Wim described a clear divide between vertical sharing (between partners in a chain, like shipper to forwarder) and horizontal sharing (between competitors or peers). The latter remains far less common due to commercial sensitivities and compliance rules.

It was highlighted by someone in the audience how AI may finally help structure and interpret vast amounts of logistics data to create predictive models – for example, forecasting the best way to move emerging therapies or preparing carriers for the next decade of cell and gene therapy growth.

Yet, as several panelists noted, not all data can – or should – be shared equally.

Data sharing depends on:

• The type of company and level of trust between partners
• The length and depth of the relationship
• The competitive stakes and whether data reveal operational advantage.
• The type of products – shipping generics at +15°C to +25°C poses less risk than patient-specific cell and gene therapies.

As Stavros put it, “Collaboration isn’t only about moving goods – it’s about moving mindsets.”

Building Resilience in a Volatile World

Resilience, Wim reminded the audience, means planning for when things go wrong. From typhoons and trade disruptions to cyber incidents and geopolitical shocks, resilience is no longer a reactive exercise – it must be designed into the supply chain from the start.

“Everybody who works within a GDP environment needs to have business continuity planning in place,” Wim said. “Putting all your eggs in one basket might not always be the best strategy.”

Business continuity by design means building flexibility into every link of the chain – not relying solely on one route, one partner, or one packaging system. It includes:

• Multiple supply chain options (air, sea, or hybrid lanes) that can be activated when disruptions occur.
• Individual risk assessments for each shipment or trade lane, evaluating exposure to weather, strikes, or conflict.
• Packaging backup plans, such as maintaining alternative qualified systems or ensuring access to different container providers in case of equipment shortages or repositioning delays.
• Backup operational processes, including the ability to switch to manual or paper-based systems during digital outages.
• Partner contingency alignment, ensuring that airlines, forwarders, and packaging providers all have mirrored recovery plans and communication pathways.

Resilience also depends on the right data visibility. The faster stakeholders can see disruptions coming – and trust the data they receive – the faster they can respond.

Ultimately, resilience is not just about surviving crises but ensuring continuity of care for patients who depend on temperature-controlled medicines. As Bourji summarized, “If the patient is truly at the center, resilience isn’t an option. It’s an obligation.”

Packaging Collaboration: A Call to Competitors

The conversation then turned to packaging – one of the most tangible and overlooked areas where collaboration can drive real progress.

Stavros posed a provocative question: Why can’t active and passive container providers collaborate to reposition equipment and reduce empty returns?
Clariss agreed: “We all have one goal – saving lives. Why not use each other’s strengths to reach that goal?”

It’s a radical idea in an industry where brand differentiation is fierce. Yet it underscores a growing awareness that collaboration among competitors may be necessary to achieve sustainability targets and improve fleet efficiency.

Sustainability and Innovation: Cost or Opportunity?

When asked what’s next for packaging innovation, Clariss didn’t hesitate: sustainability.

“The environment is everyone’s responsibility. We’ll see continued focus on lighter-weight systems, solar panels, and reuse programs that prevent empty containers flying around the world,” she said.

Panelists debated whether sustainability necessarily means higher cost. Some argued that sustainable materials and reuse programs add short-term expense. Others pointed out that lighter, smarter packaging directly reduces fuel burn and CO₂ emissions – lowering long-term cost and carbon footprint.

Examples included paper-based thermal blankets, cardboard pallet beams replacing wooden ones, and new reusable pallet shippers driven by European legislation requiring reuse before recycling.

The Over-Engineering Dilemma

Another lively discussion centered on whether pharma packaging has become too protective for its own good.

For years, shipping systems were designed to withstand extreme scenarios – but with better data monitoring and cost-effective passive containers – many companies are discovering opportunities to right-size their protection.

As Wim observed, “We’ve gone from 400% over-engineered to maybe 50%, because we now understand the supply chain better.”

Still, Bourji reminded the audience that “over-engineering isn’t always bad – it’s a safety net.” The risk of losing a multi-million-dollar shipment of cancer drugs and not administrated to patient on time outweighs the savings of a cheaper solution for example thermal blankets . The key, all agreed, is balancing protection, cost, and carbon impact with real-time data and process control.

The Way Forward

Fifteen years ago, the air cargo cold chain barely resembled what it is today. Temperature-control standards, training, and technology have all advanced dramatically. Yet, as this discussion revealed, the next phase of progress will not necessarily be technical – it will be cultural.

Greater transparency and smarter data sharing will enable a more resilient, sustainable, and patient-centric future. But that will require a shift in mindset — from protecting turf to protecting trust.

As Bourji closed, he left the audience with a challenge:

“We’ve proven we can collaborate when the world demands it. The question is – can we keep doing it when it doesn’t?”