SIGRE held the main event to mark its 25th anniversary in Madrid today, a celebration that served to recognise the shared commitment which, for a quarter of a century, has united the pharmaceutical industry, distribution and pharmacies, together with public authorities and the general public, to advance healthcare and environmental protection.

Held at the Official College of Architects of Madrid (COAM), the event looked back at the past, present and future of an initiative launched in 2001 by the pharmaceutical industry, which has established itself as the largest environmental alliance in the Spanish pharmaceutical sector and as an internationally recognised model of collaboration and the circular economy.

Under the theme ‘expanding the circle’, the event highlighted how SIGRE has evolved over the past 25 years by taking on new responsibilities, embracing technological advances and setting higher environmental targets, whilst remaining true to the principles that made its creation possible: collaboration, responsibility and a commitment to continuous improvement.

At the opening of the event, Juan Yermo, president of SIGRE and chief executive of Farmaindustria, recalled the pioneering nature of the decision taken 25 years ago by the pharmaceutical industry to collectively assume responsibility for the end-of-life management of medicine packaging and waste, involving distributors and pharmacies from the outset and working in collaboration with public authorities. From its very inception, this collective model has been one of SIGRE’s key distinguishing features.

“Pharmaceutical companies have understood for decades that their commitment to people’s health must also go hand in hand with care for the environment. SIGRE is one of the most visible and tangible expressions of that responsibility: an initiative driven by the pharmaceutical industry which, thanks to the immediate collaboration of distributors and pharmacies, has made it possible to turn that commitment into concrete, measurable actions that have been sustained over time. After 25 years, it is not enough simply to maintain our level of ambition: we must raise it and continue moving towards an increasingly circular economy, with greater emphasis on prevention, eco-design, innovation and shared responsibility,” says Yermo.

The event also featured institutional participation from the Ministry of Health, represented by César Hernández, Director-General of the Common Portfolio of Services for the National Health System and Pharmacy, who opened the proceedings. His speech highlighted the close relationship between the proper use of medicines, public health and environmental protection, as well as the contribution of initiatives such as SIGRE to the One Health approach, which recognises the connection between human health and the health of the planet.

The anniversary also provided an opportunity to recognise the work carried out over the years by the professionals who have been part of SIGRE and by the team currently working within the organisation, whose experience, commitment and capacity for innovation have made it possible to transform the pharmaceutical sector’s environmental commitment into an effective system that is accessible to the public and constantly evolving.

An initiative built by all stakeholders in the medicines supply chain

Collaboration amongst all stakeholders in the pharmaceutical supply chain was another key theme of the event.

The commitment of pharmaceutical companies —including innovators, generic drug manufacturers and self-care companies— has made it possible to drive and fund the system and to move progressively from waste management towards an increasingly preventive and circular approach, in which the eco-design of pharmaceutical packaging plays an increasingly important role.

“SIGRE reflects the commitment of self-care companies to people’s health and the protection of the environment, by promoting the proper management of medicine waste and its packaging. Its work helps to foster responsible habits amongst the public and drives the development and marketing of increasingly sustainable products by the self-care industry,” explains Jaume Pey, Director General of anefp and a board member of SIGRE.

“SIGRE’s 25th anniversary is a source of pride for the entire pharmaceutical industry. What began as a pioneering initiative within the sector has established itself as a model of collaboration that has enabled significant progress to be made in the management of medicinal product waste, prevention and the eco-design of their packaging. We celebrate these achievements and, in particular, SIGRE’s ability to continue evolving and responding to the sector’s new environmental responsibilities,” says Elena Casaus, Secretary General of AESEG and a board member of SIGRE.

Alongside them, the pharmaceutical distribution sector has played an essential role from the outset, utilising medicine delivery routes to pharmacies to collect waste deposited by members of the public at SIGRE collection points, whilst ensuring full compliance with health and environmental standards, and further reducing the environmental impact of transport. Thanks to this logistics model, the emission of 1,400 tonnes of CO₂ into the atmosphere is prevented each year.

“Full-range pharmaceutical distribution has been key to SIGRE since its inception. At FEDIFAR, we helped to drive forward a logistics solution that enabled us to meet environmental requirements without the need to create parallel structures. Twenty-five years on, this model continues to prove that it is an effective way of contributing to sustainability,” emphasises Matilde Sánchez Reyes, president of FEDIFAR and vice-president of SIGRE.

The commitment of pharmacists has also been fundamental; over the past 25 years, they have brought SIGRE to the 2.3 million members of the public who visit pharmacies every day, and have made the SIGRE Point a well-known and accessible place where people can correctly dispose of expired or unwanted medicines and their packaging.

“SIGRE is a pioneering initiative that has made Spain an international benchmark in the management of medicines waste, demonstrating the value of collaboration between industry, distribution and pharmacies. These 25 years represent much more than the history of an exemplary project. They represent a way of understanding health, sustainability and shared responsibility. And in this collective success, the network of community pharmacies – a true social achievement in our country – has played an essential role. Because for pharmacists, looking after people’s health and looking after the planet are inseparable goals, says Jesús Aguilar, president of the General Council of Pharmaceutical Associations of Spain and vice-president of SIGRE.

A tribute to those who made these 25 years possible

One of the highlights of the celebration was the recognition of those who have made a special contribution to the development and consolidation of SIGRE.

During the event, commemorative 25th-anniversary badges were presented to Ángel Luis Rodríguez de la Cuerda, former secretary-general of AESEG and former SIGRE board member, and to Emili Esteve, director of the Technical Department at Farmaindustria and SIGRE board member, in recognition of their contributions from within the pharmaceutical industry; to Miguel Valdés, Chief Executive of FEDIFAR and a member of SIGRE’s board, for the role he has played within the pharmaceutical distribution sector; and to Jesús Aguilar, in recognition of the pharmaceutical profession’s commitment to health and the environment.

The event also revisited SIGRE’s origins through a conversation with Humberto Arnés, former Director-General of Farmaindustria and former President of SIGRE, and Juan Carlos Mampaso, former Director General of SIGRE, who recalled the early days of an initiative that, in just a few years, went from a pilot scheme to nationwide implementation.

25 years of turning commitment into results

The celebration also provided an opportunity to take stock of SIGRE’s progress.

Currently, three out of every four Spanish households recycle medicines; 90 per cent of the public consider it harmful to dispose of them in the bin or down the drain; and 99 per cent of the population have at least one SIGRE collection point in their local area.

The system involves 397 pharmaceutical companies, 142 pharmaceutical distribution centres and more than 22,300 pharmacies – an extensive network that provides a local, safe and efficient solution for the proper environmental management of this waste.

At the same time, SIGRE has helped to integrate prevention into the sector’s environmental strategy. Since 2000, pharmaceutical companies have implemented more than 3,900 eco-design initiatives, whilst the 2024–2028 Business Plan for Prevention and Eco-design envisages a further 1,000 initiatives to continue reducing the environmental impact of medicinal product packaging.

Added to this is the incorporation of technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics at the Medicinal Waste Sorting Plant, which enabled 74.93 per cent of the packaging materials deposited at SIGRE collection points to be recovered for recycling by 2025.

The next 25 years: continuing to widen the circle

But the anniversary was intended, above all, to be a starting point.

Since January 2025, SIGRE has expanded its scope of action to include commercial and industrial medicine packaging, responding to the new obligations arising from packaging regulations and strengthening its contribution to the circular economy across the entire pharmaceutical supply chain.

During the event, a discussion between Helena Villena, senior associate in the Public and Regulated Sectors practice at Gómez-Acebo & Pombo, and Miguel Vega, managing director of SIGRE, addressed precisely the challenges posed by this new landscape: increasingly stringent environmental regulations, the growing responsibility of producers, the need to continue making progress in prevention and eco-design, the opportunities offered by data and technology, and the need to reconcile all these advances with the specific safety, quality and preservation requirements inherent to medicines.

This forward-looking perspective has thus brought full circle the journey that began 25 years ago. A future in which SIGRE aspires to continue evolving and expanding its scope of action, whilst keeping intact the essence that has made its journey possible: the collaboration of all stakeholders involved in the life cycle of medicines to simultaneously protect people’s health and the health of the planet.

As was highlighted during the celebrations, SIGRE’s first 25 years demonstrate that no single stakeholder can close the circle on their own. The challenge for the next 25 years will be to continue expanding it together.