People with diabetes demand solutions to therapy-related waste
People with diabetes are concerned about waste associated with therapy, and diabetes stakeholders must advocate for regulatory changes to address the problem, according to a speaker at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes annual meeting.
“We, this means all of the diabetes community, have to take action when it comes to waste associated with diabetes therapy,” Lutz Heinemann, PhD, CEO of Science Consulting in Diabetes GmbH in Germany, told Healio. “More and more patients are annoyed by all the waste they are generating when they change a continuous glucose monitoring system or glucose sensor. The political pressure to reduce waste production has increased.”
Reusable diabetes materials in demand
The amount of waste a person with diabetes collects over the course of a year that does not directly pertain to their care can add up. CGM systems, insulin infusion sets, and blood glucose measurement kits are packaged in carboard boxes and often include packing materials that contain plastic and unneeded instructions for use.
The issue of waste is becoming an issue of top concern for many people with diabetes. In a survey of 1,048 people with diabetes in Germany, conducted in January 2022, 89% said diabetes waste was a relevant topic, 54.5% said they were aware of packaging waste with diabetes technology, and 67.1% reported they wanted more reusable equipment for diabetes therapy.
“Patients have bad feelings nowadays when throwing away all of the diabetes technology-related garbage,” Heinemann said during a presentation. “It’s difficult for them [to understand], what does the product serve, what is the packaging and what is recyclable? Patients might ask in the future for a disposable box, for example, for the sharps or the tips of the CGM systems. I believe this should be a topic that is much more addressed in the training of patients in the future.”
Strategies for reducing diabetes waste
In Europe, possible changes are around the corner with recycling plastics. In January 2018, the first European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy was adopted to change the way plastic products are created, used and recycled in European Union nations. Heinemann said the strategy could force diabetes device manufacturers to make changes in the way plastics are produced.
Improving sustainability in diabetes devices goes beyond packaging. Heinemann noted that devices include many smaller parts made of different materials, making them difficult to recycle. However, device companies as well as companies in the packaging industry are aware of the problem — they have put out sustainability reports and are gathering ideas about how to reduce waste in the future. Despite these actions, Heinemann said the industry still needs new ideas on how to improve sustainability.
“We need ideas for how to ship items around,” Heinemann said during a presentation. “The major issue is once you have this product in your hand, what do you do with all of the shipping materials?”
Heinemann said new materials that are more environmentally friendly, such as biodegradable plastics, could also be used in medical materials and devices.
“If Lego can have biodegradable plastic in their products, why can’t we use them for medical devices for diabetes therapy?” Heinemann said.
Some companies are exploring more sustainable options for insulin pens, Heinemann said. For example, Biocon is considering replacing disposable insulin pens with reusable ones, and Novo Nordisk is offering recycling of its insulin pens. Even with recycling, questions remain about whether there is a market for reusing the recycled materials, among others, Heinemann said.
“We have to perform and evaluate certain pilot studies and projects,” Heinemann said. “Ecological balance is really tricky when it comes to the details.”
To provide a blueprint for improving sustainability in the diabetes community, Heinemann and colleagues composed The Diabetes Technology Society Green Declaration in 2021. Published in The Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology, the declaration offers steps patients, health care professionals, government agencies and manufacturers can take to improve sustainability with diabetes devices and reduce diabetes waste.
“We need to acknowledge that this is an issue that has to be taken seriously now,” Heinemann told Healio. “Manufacturers should check all steps of the production lines. Manufacturers should offer versions of their product with exactly what the patients need and not with additional parts. Patients should think about what they really need and which product generates the least amount of waste.”
Reference:
Nguyen KT, et al. J Diabetes Sci Technol. 2021;doi:10.1177/19322968211051721.
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Heinemann L. S32. Presented at: European Association for the Study of Diabetes Annual Meeting; Sept. 19-23, 2022; Stockholm (hybrid meeting).
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