Sanofi-Aventis Vietnam joins efforts to reduce plastic waste

The project will be piloted at FPT Long Chau’s store chain from July and last one year. This phase aims to dispose of 90.000 used insulin pens properly, equal to 2.3 tonnes of plastic waste.

Emin Turan, foundation general manager of Vietnam & Cambodia and country lead of Sanofi Vietnam said, “Contributing to protecting the planet is one of Sanofi's four top goals in our social impact strategy. As an idea proponent, Sanofi Vietnam is honoured to be accompanied by FPT Long Chau in a project that brings practical meaning to the environment. Hopefully, this idea will be supported by the community of patients using insulin pens so that the project can expand to other provinces and cities, and at the same time create an environment-friendly habit.”

About 1.8 million tons of plastic waste are discharged every year in Vietnam. In large cities like Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, the amount of plastic waste released every day is up to 80 tonnes. Due to a lack of waste separation at the source, medical trash in Vietnam is normally mixed and treated, before being landfilled together with household trash.

For diabetes patients, Insulin is an essential treatment solution in the advanced stages of the disease, and the insulin pen is 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 Vietnam, equivalent to about 228 tonnes of plastic. Every year, 900,000 insulin pens from Sanofi are sold, leading to 23 tonnes of plastic waste.