Marion Briggs, MBA1, Ed Krisiunas, MPH2
Global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have been on the rise in all sectors of the economy in the past few decades, and the healthcare industry is no exception, accounting for approximately 4.4% of global emissions1. In addition, as the global population continues to expand, and in the wake of Covid 19, waste generation is continuing to grow with no sign of slowing. Every industry must find new ways to tackle these issues and minimize waste and emissions. With medical sharps waste, the traditional pathways of incineration or landfill are only contributing to these problems. Due to pressure from the public, governments, and regulators on industry to show action on climate change and waste management, pharmaceutical companies are now looking at different ways to decarbonise both their internal businesses and their supply chains in line with their stated environmental goals. While many hurdles remain, there are several new initiatives to tackle injection associated waste, and new collaborations forming to address this particular issue.
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