THE PHARMACEUTICAL SECTOR COMMITED TO TECHNOLOGY TO REDUCE THE ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT OF COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic seems to have entered its final stage, with fortunately very low numbers, both hospitalized and deceased. 

Its impact, however, is not limited to the health and social sphere. The massive use of medicines and sanitary material (wipes, gloves or disposable masks) is one of the most devastating side effects of COVID-19 due to its environmental damage when its waste goes to the natural environment. What about all this pharmaceutical industry waste generated in these COVID years?

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that during the two long years of the pandemic, more than 140 million test kits have been commercialized, capable of generating 2,600 tons of non-infectious waste (mainly plastics) and 731,000 liters of chemical waste. At the same time, more than 8 billion doses of vaccines have been administered worldwide, producing 144,000 tons of additional waste in the form of syringes, needles and packaging.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The impact of this waste is evident. Tens of thousands of tons of medical and pharmaceutical waste generated by the health response to the COVID-19 pandemic have put enormous pressure on medical waste management systems around the world. According to the WHO Global Analysis of Healthcare in the Context of COVID-19, medical waste, mainly plastic, threatens human and environmental health, and exposes an urgent need to improve management practices for this type of waste.

As an example, although the generation of urban waste decreased by 25% in the metropolitan area of Barcelona during 2020, the generation of waste generated in health centers increased by 350%. Although this waste is managed through channels other than household ones, its disposal was temporarily authorized through incinerators for household waste, with the consequent emission of carcinogenic compounds such as dioxins. On the other hand, this sanitary and pharmaceutical waste has also had a direct impact on river environments.

This situation calls for a reform and  reduction in the use of plastics, both in medicines and medical devices. In this regard, it recommends a systemic change in the way the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries manufacture their products and manage their waste: eco-friendly packaging, reusable personal protective equipment, the use of recyclable or biodegradable materials and investments in the recycling sector to ensure that materials, such as plastics, can have a second life.

HOW PHARMACEUTICAL WASTE IS RECYCLED

For this reason, it is essential to strengthen and technify the specific collection and classification systems of medical waste in order to avoid damage to human health and the environment, and that is where PICVISA is positioned as a key figure. Let’s take an example. At this point, and focusing on Spain, SIGRE plays a crucial role, the only integrated medicine management system authorized in the country by the health and environmental authorities, which guarantees that both the packaging and the drug residues that they may contain receive an adequate treatment once they are deposited in the SIGRE Points.

What do you do with them? Pharmaceutical distributors take advantage of the distribution of new medicines to pharmacies to collect this waste and deposit it in authorized managers who take it to the packaging and drug waste sorting plant, located in Tudela de Duero (Valladolid), a pioneering facility worldwide where pharmaceutical and health waste goes through different phases to separate the containers and the remains of medicines they contain.

This process needs to be fully automated in order to guarantee the complete traceability of the waste. For this reason, the plant must incorporate, and incorporates, numerous technological innovations in the classification of waste. The greatest example of this constant process of innovation and technification was the installation of one of PICVISA’s ECOPICK  robots that, based on artificial intelligence, recognizes and classifies a wide variety of waste. This makes it possible to subsequently recycle the packaging materials (paper, cardboard, plastic, glass, metals, etc.) and for the remains of the medicines to be delivered to specialized managers for disposal.

THE PHARMACEUTICAL SECTOR’S PATH TO SUSTAINABILITY

The pharmaceutical industry is obliged to bet on sustainability. The management of pharmaceutical and health waste is no longer a secondary issue. For this reason, the sector is beginning to improve the recyclability of its products, betting on sustainable packaging solutions that use recyclable materials and biodegradable plastics. Thus, the pharmaceutical sector already uses sustainable plastics such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate), R-PET (recycled polyethylene terephthalate) and PLA (polylactic acid), a 100% organic and compostable bioplastic.

Following this path, there are lines of innovation that focus on improving the recyclability of blisters, PVC and aluminum laminates, which are the most used containers in the pharmaceutical industry and of which, however, only 50% is recycled due to the complexity of the process. To improve this percentage, research projects are already underway that work on the development of innovative processes to recover aluminum through the use of selective and biodegradable green solvents that eliminate PVC and recover completely after use.

The paradigm shift of pharmaceutical packaging is not, however, as easy as it seems. These containers are subject to a number of requirements, such as stability and climatic conditions, which often make their sustainability difficult. In addition, any change in packaging must be approved by the authorities and, therefore, requires a very long process. Nevertheless, Europe has all the elements to become the leader of this revolution; there are many companies that aspire to sustainable innovation, also in the pharmaceutical sector.

THE PHARMACEUTICAL SECTOR’S PATH TO SUSTAINABILITY

The pharmaceutical industry is obliged to bet on sustainability. The management of pharmaceutical and health waste is no longer a secondary issue. For this reason, the sector is beginning to improve the recyclability of its products, betting on sustainable packaging solutions that use recyclable materials and biodegradable plastics. Thus, the pharmaceutical sector already uses sustainable plastics such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate), R-PET (recycled polyethylene terephthalate) and PLA (polylactic acid), a 100% organic and compostable bioplastic.

Following this path, there are lines of innovation that focus on improving the recyclability of blisters, PVC and aluminum laminates, which are the most used containers in the pharmaceutical industry and of which, however, only 50% is recycled due to the complexity of the process. To improve this percentage, research projects are already underway that work on the development of innovative processes to recover aluminum through the use of selective and biodegradable green solvents that eliminate PVC and recover completely after use.

The paradigm shift of pharmaceutical packaging is not, however, as easy as it seems. These containers are subject to a number of requirements, such as stability and climatic conditions, which often make their sustainability difficult. In addition, any change in packaging must be approved by the authorities and, therefore, requires a very long process. Nevertheless, Europe has all the elements to become the leader of this revolution; there are many companies that aspire to sustainable innovation, also in the pharmaceutical sector.