Circular economy towards the future
As resources and land are becoming scarcer, Boehringer Ingelheim uses eco-design to shape and develop animal health products with an improved environmental profile. Second chapter of the Market Trends 2020 Series.
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Adapting to new models
Why does that matter? There is a global understanding that environmental sustainability requires every industry, in every country, to shift from a linear economy to a circular economy. The former relates to the current take-make-waste industrial model. The latter, the circular model, aims to reduce products waste and environmental impacts while maintaining materials in use. It encourages a regenerative circle to avoid raw material extraction.“More than a trend, eco-design is now a reality. It implies adopting a new holistic approach to our products from an environmental perspective. We want to identify innovative improvement opportunities. This is achieved by understanding what our environmental impacts are and reversing them through sustainable design,” explains Sarah Arias, Eco-design Manager at Boehringer Ingelheim.
Bringing everyone on board
The task is not easy as it requires alignment with regulatory requirements. However, it brings cross-functional opportunities. Such a holistic approach needs contributions from every area in the company. Dr. Joanne Maki, a senior vet specialized in Veterinary Public Health, is a good example.
“Although the product has an excellent track record of safety and efficacy in certain species, like foxes, coyotes and raccoons, research showed that the way the current vaccine is packaged, in a plastic sachet bait coated with fishmeal, limits skunks and other small-mouthed wildlife animals from getting an adequate vaccine dose,” recalls Joanne. “I realized that packaging matters a lot. We want to offer our customers the best products, and today, our customers want more than that. Offering the best product means also saving resources and thinking of post-consumer waste. Our customers want these solutions.”
Connecting to the global conversation
As all future product developments are set to be more sustainable through an eco-design approach, engagements – and synergies – are fundamental. In order to raise awareness and develop internal skills for a more sustainable mindset, eco-design workshops have been organized in several sites such as Ingelheim (Germany), Lyon (France) and Paulinia (Brazil).
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