As part of Sanofi’s eco design commitment, the company is developing solutions to tackle the end-of-life of its products. In several countries, take-back programs have been launched to collect injection pens and recycle them.
In Germany, Sanofi started a collaboration with 35 pharmacies in Berlin since April 2023 and plans to expand the program to more pharmacies across the country. The objective is to reach a take-back rate of 30 percent of SoloStars® pens within one year.
In Denmark, Sanofi has partnered with Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly and Merck KGaA to pioneer the world's first cross-industry solution for recycling injection pens. The collaboration has been launched in Denmark, because of the existing recycling infrastructure. The four companies distribute around 6 million injection pens in Denmark annually. The ambition for the first 12 months is to recycle 25% of all injection pens distributed by the four partners in Denmark. This target represents the equivalent of 25 tons of plastic waste.
