Manufacturing
In terms of logistics, new packaging formats not only have a significant knock-on impact, but Merck Healthcare has also launched several logistics-only initiatives, designed to reduce the environmental impact of the transport of medicines across the globe. Since 2018, the company has made significant progress. “Five years ago, we were shipping around 65% of our products by air,” Obermueller notes. “We set out to convert medicine shipments from air to sea without compromising the quality of our medicines or the service level to patients.” By 2021, the company was able to deliver 80% of its medicines by sea, allowing them to save 10,600t of CO2
neutralising the CO2
in that year alone – the equivalent of emissions of 20,000 passengers
In Denmark, Merck has teamed up with Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly and Sanofi to give patients the opportunity to return injection pens for recycling.
considered as important as the health and safety aspect of her role. “This function has evolved significantly during my tenure, and not only towards giving more space to the environmental dimension,” she says. “It has also shifted from a compliance- oriented way of working to a more engaging and voluntary approach. It used to be a standalone function and now it is recognised that this dimension is every employee’s responsibility. It has become much more integrated across the business.”
Merck’s approach Firstly, and on the product front, Obermueller is most excited about the introduction of new, more sustainable packaging formats. “Some of our medicines are available as injector pens. These used to be packaged in a large box with plastic blisters, which meant we were shipping a lot of air,” she explains. “It made no sense from neither an ecological nor an economic perspective.”
“We set out to convert medicine shipments from air to sea without compromising the quality of our medicines or the service level to patients.”
Merck Healthcare set itself a target to redesign the secondary packaging from scratch, which involved retrofitting existing assembly lines. The new solution is 40% smaller and 100% free of plastic. “With this new packaging format, we are decreasing transport and cold storage volumes and using less raw materials, which translates into a 33% reduction of the CO2 emissions associated with the logistics of these medicines, and the elimination of 180t of plastic waste each year,” Obermueller says, “In addition, storing these medicines is now more convenient for patients, taking up less space at home.”
20
flying from Paris to New York. “We are committed to sustaining this annual reduction every year moving forward,” Obermueller says. Merck Healthcare has also been experimenting with sustainable fuels, in collaboration with DHL. During a two-month pilot program, DHL facilitated carbon emissions reductions in the delivery of medicines to 25 destinations across the Asia Pacific region via air and ocean freight by replacing fossil fuels with sustainable marine and aviation fuels. This avoided 370t of CO2
emissions, which
translates to a 65% decrease considering end-to- end transportation. Finally, introducing new packaging formats for pharmaceuticals is not a simple process. “Active compounds can be sensitive to light or humidity or they might interact with other materials,” Obermueller notes. “We need to preserve the proper administration of our medicines and their integrity, which means changes cannot be implemented overnight. They must be reviewed and approved by health authorities.” For this reason, Merck Healthcare has implemented a series of pilot programmes focused on reducing the environmental impact of packaging that has already left the pharmacy, hospital or doctor’s office. In Denmark, for example, the company has teamed up with Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly and Sanofi to give patients the opportunity to return empty injection pens, which are dismantled, and the plastics used to make household items. A similar take-back scheme in Germany allows patients to give back empty medical plastic blisters. Programmes like this, however, are much easier said than done, requiring strong partnerships, not only with other pharmaceutical companies, but also with pharmacists, local recycling infrastructure providers and patients. “We cannot do this alone,” Obermueller stresses. “We also need to work closely with pharmacies to organise the collection of the used injection pens and empty medical blisters, usually through highly visible boxes, as well as training pharmacists and ensuring they are engaged
World Pharmaceutical Frontiers /
www.worldpharmaceuticals.net
Orawan Pattarawimonchai/
shutterstock.com
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