Reducing plastic waste in respiratory healthcare for a more sustainable future
In 2020, Dsposal along with our friends at design studio Reply, launched a research project with the aim to assess ways of reducing plastic waste in healthcare, with a focus on inhalers. This research project was awarded funding from the Plastic Research and Innovation Fund by Innovate UK. This competition offered funding for human-centred design projects for sustainable plastics and to reduce the harm that plastics have on our environment.
The aims of this research project were to investigate how to reduce the environmental impact of inhalers, minimise or eliminate unnecessary plastic waste, and ultimately design an inhaler device that is acceptable by users. The project team secured access to the research and development team at Chiesi Limited, the UK affiliate of a global biopharmaceutical company within the respiratory health market.
Although the initial ambition of this research project was to re-design inhaler actuators so that they can be reused and recycled, the team were unable to present such a specific output as commercial and confidentiality issues prevented access to companies that manufacture component parts of inhalers.
The findings from this research project, therefore, focus predominantly on inhaler users, and the user behaviour changes required to reduce the environmental impact of inhalers. The team surveyed 1012, and interviewed 49, inhaler users (or their carers) with the aim to understand the types of conditions, level of usage and disposal of inhalers. A Theory of Change Framework was used to look at desired long-term goals and a COM-B behaviour model to understand how to influence user behaviour to increase reuse and recycling of inhalers.
There is a growing awareness that climate change is affecting human health; planetary health and human health are inextricably linked. The climate crisis is real and present, and healthcare has a significant role to play in addressing the climate emergency. This has been recognised during the project, and recommendations proposed are aimed at minimising environmental impact overall.
This report documents the outputs of the research and provides practical short, medium and long-term steps for manufacturers, healthcare professionals and waste industry to improve the sustainability of inhalers and the healthcare system. Download Inspire Tomorrow: Reducing plastic waste in respiratory healthcare for a more sustainable future.