A MOU was signed on June 17 between Sanofi-Aventis Vietnam and FPT Long Chau on cooperation to reduce plastic waste from used insulin pens in Việt Nam. — Photo courtesy of Sanofi-Aventis Vietnam

HCM CITY — France-based Sanofi-Aventis Vietnam and local pharmacy chain FPT Long Châu on Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation to implement their “Insulin Pen Sustainability Pilot Project” on plastic waste reduction.

The project aims to reduce the amount of plastic waste and create a solution to properly dispose of used insulin pens in Việt Nam.

The project will be first implemented at FPT Long Châu’s store chain from July, and last a year.

It aims to dispose 90,000 used insulin pens properly, equivalent to 2.3 tonnes of plastic waste.

About 1.8 million tonnes of plastic waste are released every year in the country. Big cities HCM City and Hà Nội discharge about 80 tonnes of plastic waste a day.

Due to the lack of waste separation at source, medical waste is normally mixed, treated and landfilled together with household waste.

For diabetes patients, insulin is an essential treatment solution in advanced stages of the disease, and insulin pens are designed to make it simple and convenient for patients to inject insulin at home.

However, it is estimated that more than 8.8 million insulin pens are sold each year in the country, equivalent to about 228 tonnes of plastic waste.

Every year, 900,000 insulin pens from Sanofi are sold, leading to 23 tonnes of plastic disposed, said Emin Turan, Foundation General Manager of Việt Nam and Cambodia, and Country Lead of Sanofi Vietnam.

“Hopefully this idea will be supported by the patients using insulin pens so that it could be expanded to other provinces and cities, creating an environment-friendly habit,” he said.

Nguyễn Bạch Điệp, chairwoman of FPT Long Châu, said this activity shows the company’s social responsibility and efforts to protect the environment, thereby improving human health.

“We hope the project can develop further on a national scale, helping to replicate good values to the community,” she said. — VNS