Forética’s “Sustainability in the Healthcare Sector” working group, led by Bayer, Grifols, Grupo Asisa, IVI RMA Global, Lilly, Merck, MSD, Novo Nordisk, Quirónsalud, Sanitas, Siemens Healthineers and UCB, visited the Medicinal Packaging and Waste Sorting Plant today, located in Tudela de Duero (Valladolid), a pioneering facility and global benchmark in the treatment of this type of waste.

The visit takes place against a backdrop where the healthcare sector faces the challenge of moving towards more sustainable models without losing sight of its core mission: caring for people. Among its main challenges are the decarbonisation of the entire value chain and the promotion of the circular economy, particularly in areas such as waste management and the eco-design of packaging and products.

During the tour, experts from PreZero, the company operating the facility, explained to attendees the highly automated processes taking place at the plant. Thanks to the application of artificial intelligence and robotics in waste separation and sorting, nearly 70% of the packaging materials that citizens deposit at SIGRE collection points in pharmacies are now recycled.

The work the pharmaceutical industry has been carrying out in the field of eco-design also contributes to this high percentage. Every year, nearly 500 million medicines — one in three — are placed on the Spanish market with some form of environmental improvement in their packaging, which has made them more recyclable and reduced their average weight by more than 25% over the last 20 years.

Participants were also able to see first-hand how leftover medicines and packaging waste that cannot be recycled are subjected, at the facility itself, to a process for producing Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) for subsequent energy recovery. This system makes it possible to harness the calorific value of the medicine waste collected by SIGRE, thereby minimising its environmental impact compared to other possible management methods.

All leftover medicines are destroyed, as, in accordance with current regulations and the instructions of the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS), it is prohibited to supply them to new patients, both in Spain and in other countries, due to the health risk posed by their reuse.

For Forética’s Managing Director, Germán Granda, “moving towards a more sustainable healthcare system requires a decisive approach to key challenges such as decarbonisation, the circular economy and responsible waste management. Initiatives such as SIGRE demonstrate that it is possible to combine technological innovation, health protection and the reduction of environmental impact, and highlight the value of collaboration between all stakeholders in the value chain to accelerate this transformation.

For his part, Miguel Vega, CEO of SIGRE, notes that “SIGRE represents the largest environmental alliance in the pharmaceutical sector in Spain to move towards a circular economy, acting preventively and advancing towards increasingly sustainable production and consumption models that help to safeguard global health”.

In the same vein, Agustín Pedroviejo, Director of the Central Region for PreZero Spain’s Industrial Business, states that “we are proud to have clients such as SIGRE, who go a step beyond mere waste management. At PreZero, we share their transformative vision, providing the technology and operational expertise needed to close the life cycle of medicines and ensure that caring for people is always compatible with protecting our environment”.