TURIN – Turin is among the three Italian cities involved in the pilot project “TakeBack: ReMed”the initiative for the collection and recycling of pre-filled injection devicespromoted for the first time in Italy by Novo Nordisk, a leading company in the field of chronic non-communicable diseases and rare diseases.
From disposable ‘pens’ to commonly used objects, such as chairs and furnishing accessories, the path becomes a completely innovative collection and recycling model, to transform a used medical device from waste to resource. In fact, there are over 607 thousand pre-filled ‘pens’ used for therapies against diabetes, obesity and rare diseases, which are used every year by the citizens of Turin and which, until yesterday, ended up in landfill while now, thanks to the “TakeBack” project: ReMed”, will come back to life again.
The TakeBack Project: ReMed
“TakeBack: ReMed” is part of the global commitment that Novo Nordisk has made in the field of sustainability with “Circular for zero”, a global initiative that sets the challenging goal of achieving zero environmental impact by 2045. Successfully tested in Brazil, France, Denmark and the United Kingdom, “TakeBack: ReMed” now arrives in Italy with trials that will involve, in addition to Turin, also Parma and, in the coming weeks, Bologna, after the approval of the project by the municipal council.
To confirm the importance that projects like this have on the environment in terms of CO2 savings, there is data that comes from experiences already started in other countries: in the United Kingdom, for example, savings have been achieved in the disposal process equal to approximately 90% going from 26g to 3g of CO2.
“Novo Nordisk inextricably links the commitment to improving people’s quality of life with innovation and sustainability, because we are convinced that the therapeutic value of our medicines must always also be associated with their environmental impact. The goal is to achieve zero environmental impact by 2045. To this end, we are pursuing a strategy that thinks from a Planetary Health perspective. We promote the reduction of consumption and emissions, the recycling of waste and the development of reusable products within a circular economy that covers the entire supply chain from production to distribution. Thanks to collaboration with local institutions and actors, it is possible to create the conditions to make a difference and promote concrete, virtuous and truly sustainable actions such as “TakeBack: ReMed”, explains Marco Salvini, Sr Director External Affairs of Novo Nordisk Italia.
TakeBack: ReMed in Turin
In the city of Turin, every year, approximately 3.5% of the over 17 million pre-filled pens that are sold in Italy every year in 12 months are used. The experimentation therefore starts from these numbers and will develop thanks to a agreement with Federfarma which promoted the participation of 80 city pharmacies and will provide the collection data. In these facilities, citizens will find the collection kit consisting of collection bags for used pens which will be distributed to citizens. Each envelope can contain between 10 and 15 pens and a return rate forecast – i.e. the return response from citizens – of 25% is estimated.
“Participation in the ‘TakeBack: ReMed’ project fits along the path traced by the other projects of the City of Turin, from the local collection of vegetable oils of domestic origin to the recovery of food, WEEE and wood. These are initiatives which, by creating a context favorable to the reduction of waste produced and its differentiation, encourage the adoption of circular practices through the recycling and reuse of materials, thus minimizing the environmental impact. ‘ReMed’, in addition to transforming waste into resources, also represents an important opportunity for information and empowerment. Some types of medical devices that are commonly used in our homes often end up delivered incorrectly”, comments the councilor for environmental policies, Chiara Foglietta.
From Turin to Denmark
The pens collected in Turin will then be transferred to Denmark to complete the recovery cycle. Thanks to various local partnerships, in fact, Novo Nordisk collects, stores and ships used pens in Denmark, and then transforms them into secondary raw materials used for the creation of commonly used objects, such as chairs, lamps, vases and much more. Disposable pens are now up to 85% recyclable.
“For the metropolitan city of Turin this is only a first step. in fact, we want to extend the project to the rest of the municipalities in our territory, as well as to other producers as has already happened for similar projects abroad, with the aim of increasing the quantities of pens removed from the incinerator and perhaps creating the conditions for a national recycling chain”, adds Alessandro Sicchiero, delegated councilor for the Environment of the Metropolitan City of Turin.
In short, a clear model of circular economy applied to the healthcare and pharmaceutical sector, which, thanks to the commitment of Novo Nordisk and the collaboration of the Municipalities involved, will start from Turin and the other pilot cities and then extend to other Italian cities.
Subscribe to the Quotidiano Piemontese channel on WhatsApp, follow our Facebook page and continue reading Quotidiano Piemontese
