Turin is among the three Italian cities involved in the “TakeBack: ReMed” pilot project, a new initiative for the collection and recycling of pre-filled medical devices for injections.
This initiative, introduced for the first time in Italy by Novo Nordisk, a leading company in the production of drugs for chronic non-communicable diseases and rare diseases, aims to transform single-use devices into reusable resources.
With “TakeBack: ReMed”, pre-filled pens used for therapies against diabetes, obesity and rare diseases can be recycled to create everyday objects, such as chairs and furniture. This project represents an innovative model of collection and recycling, converting used medical devices into useful materials rather than waste destined for landfill. Every year, over 607 thousand pre-filled pens used by Turin citizens will end up in new production cycles, thanks to this initiative.
The initiative is part of Novo Nordisk's broader sustainability strategy, "Circular for Zero", which aims to reduce environmental impact to zero by 2045. Already successfully trialled in countries such as Brazil, France, Denmark and the United Kingdom , “TakeBack: ReMed” is now also launched in Bologna and Parma, as well as Turin.
The goal of achieving zero environmental impact by 2045 guides all of Novo Nordisk's activities. The company promotes the reduction of consumption and emissions, the recycling of waste and the development of reusable products, operating within a circular economy that covers the entire supply chain, from design to distribution.
To start the project on our territory, the Città Metropolitana di Torino has signed an agreement with Novo Nordisk, with the Comune di Torino and with the manager of the public waste collection service. Over the next few months, the collection will be activated in city pharmacies.
The councilor delegated for the Environment of the Città Metropolitana di Torino Alessandro Sicchiero underlines the intention to extend the project to all the municipalities in the area: "For the Città Metropolitana di Torino this is only a first step. In fact, we want to extend the project to the rest of the municipalities in our territory, as well as to other producers, as has already happened for similar projects abroad, with the aim of increasing the quantities of pens removed from the incinerator, and perhaps creating the conditions for a national recycling chain"
From waste to resource, new life for injectable pens: experimentation in Turin (cittametropolitana.torino.it)