The pharmaceutical industry is developing new propellants which are much less impactful on climate change. They are also investigating reusable/refillable inhalers, longer lasting devices and built-in carbon monitoring technology.
Doctors, nurses and pharmacists need to be aware of the carbon footprint of MDIs so they can share this information with patients in a spirit of partnership around their treatment decisions.
Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
Sustainability is a concept that encompasses three dimensions: environmental, social, and economic. It can be summed up by the phrase “people, planet and profit.” Many companies focus their sustainability efforts on the environmental dimension, as it is easiest to measure. This includes things like reducing the company’s carbon footprint, using renewable energy sources, and eliminating wasteful processes. However, it is important to remember that if any part of the sustainability equation is compromised, then it undermines all of the work that has been done.
For example, if there is a leak in the foundation of a building, it will eventually collapse no matter how many other improvements are made. Similarly, if there is harm being done to people in any part of the supply chain, then no amount of improvement can overcome that. This is why it is essential to prioritize safety first when integrating sustainability practices.
One way to reduce the carbon footprint of an inhaler is to use a reusable or rechargeable device. This can help reduce the number of disposable inhalers that are used, and it also helps to avoid having the device thrown away at the end of its useful life. A reusable or rechargeable inhaler can also be less expensive over time than a new, single-use device.
It is also important to make sure that patients are using their inhalers correctly. For example, some patients may incorrectly hold their breath when using a MDI, which can result in a lack of medication being delivered to the lungs. Additionally, some patients may not return their inhalers to pharmacies for disposal when they are finished with them, which can lead to wasted propellant. It is recommended that all patients keep track of their Red and White Inhaler usage and return them to the pharmacy when they are finished, which will prevent them from being discarded.
It is also possible to reduce the carbon footprint of an inhaler by switching to a breath-actuated inhaler (DPI). DPIs do not contain propellants, and they therefore have a lower carbon footprint than pMDIs or BAIs. However, it is important to note that this change could cause a patient’s asthma to flare up temporarily, as some patients have difficulty switching from MDIs to DPIs.
Reduce Your Chemical Footprint
While all inhalers have some environmental impact, pMDIs have the highest footprint because they use hydrofluorocarbon propellants that are potent greenhouse gases. The emissions from the production, manufacture, transport and usage of a pMDI are about 25 times greater than that of DPIs or soft-mist inhalers.
Because the environmental footprint is so high, it makes sense to use an inhaler that uses the least amount of propellant. The simplest way to reduce the carbon footprint of your inhaler is to switch from a pMDI to a DPI or a soft-mist inhaler. Using an inhaler with a lower carbon footprint will reduce your environmental impact and help prevent climate change.
The most important step to take to reduce your chemical footprint is to recycle. If you are not recycling your inhaler correctly, the harmful greenhouse gas propellants from the device will leak out of the inhaler and contaminate the environment. It is important to return your inhalers to your local pharmacy for recycling. The inhalers will be sent to a facility where they can be safely incinerated. This process will break down the hydrofluoroalkanes into less potent greenhouse gases, and help to reduce their environmental impact.
It is also important to discuss the environmental impact of your inhaler with your doctor or pharmacist. This will allow you to feel confident that you are making the best choice for your health and the environment. However, it is important not to make patients feel guilty about the use of their purple inhaler round. If patients are reluctant to switch inhalers, it can have a negative effect on their disease control and quality of life.
The pillars of sustainability are often referred to as people, planet and profit, but it is essential to consider safety in addition to these three elements. This is because, if harm occurs at any stage in the supply chain, it can undermine all other efforts to be sustainable.
The key to achieving sustainable business is to make sustainability an integral part of the business model and culture. This will ensure that all employees understand why sustainability is important and how their individual actions can contribute to a more sustainable supply chain. In this way, sustainability can become the new competitive advantage for businesses and create a positive impact on the world around us.
Reduce Your Water Footprint
If your manufacturing business uses water, you should try to reduce your water footprint as much as possible. This can be done by reducing the amount of wastewater you produce, reducing the amount of freshwater used in production, and by using recycled water. You can also reduce your water footprint by installing energy efficient appliances and by promoting sustainable practices among employees.
Sustainability is often described as a three-dimensional concept that includes environmental, social, and economic dimensions. The diagram with nested ellipses stresses the hierarchy of the dimensions, with environmental conditions taking precedence over other considerations. Several methods of measuring sustainability exist, including certification systems, types of corporate accounting, and indices.
Achieving sustainable manufacturing requires a commitment from the top down. You must understand the goals and priorities of your company, and then use those to develop a plan to achieve sustainability. You should also include the goals and priorities of your suppliers in your sustainability plan. You can do this by setting specific goals for each supplier, and by using metrics to measure their progress.
Once you have a plan in place, it is important to take action. You should make sustainability part of your corporate culture, and create incentives for employees to participate in sustainability initiatives. You should also host forums and speaker series to help others learn about sustainability. These events can serve as a platform for collaboration, and they can inspire people to develop innovative business procedures.
Reduce Your Waste Footprint
Inhalers have a very large carbon footprint, both in terms of their production and disposal. In addition, the propellants used in pMDIs contain fluorinated gases (F-gases) with high global warming potential. The NHS was the first healthcare system to set ambitions of becoming net carbon zero, so shifting away from pMDIs with greenhouse gases is essential.
The good news is that the NHS already has a number of initiatives in place to reduce its environmental impact and a whole host of alternative inhalers available, such as the Take AIR dry powder inhaler. Using Buy Green Inhaler can save patients up to 58 kilotonnes of CO2 emissions every year.
This is because it does not use any HFC propellants, unlike pMDIs and BAIs. Instead, the device uses a new, highly sustainable, natural and biodegradable material called terbutane to provide the therapeutic doses of medicine. It has a significantly lower carbon footprint than the MDIs and DPIs currently prescribed by the NHS.
Despite this, the majority of inhalers are still discarded in domestic waste or returned to community pharmacists where they’re typically disposed of as clinical waste and end up being sent to landfill. Inhaler recycling schemes have been running in the past and if all 73 million inhalers used in the UK each year were returned rather than thrown away this would prevent a significant amount of CO2 emissions.
The South East London Integrated Care System (SEL ICS) is implementing an inhaler recycling pilot across its sites, aimed at encouraging patients to return their unused or expired inhalers for reuse or recycling rather than throwing them away. Inhalers are sent to a specialist facility to be recycled with the aim of recovering and repurposing a significant portion of their propellant gases.
To support the pilot, SEL ICS has trained nurses as green facilitators at all its sites who are responsible for raising awareness of the sustainability of inhaler use. They are also supporting staff to incorporate discussions about the environmental impacts of inhalers into their asthma reviews. A survey amongst respiratory staff found that 61.4% were not confident that they routinely advise their patients and carers on how to dispose of inhalers responsibly, with only 20% stating they do so.
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