This World Environment Day, P&G Health reinforced its commitment to sustainable waste management through its new partnership with the Lakshya and Recycle India Foundation for sustainable pharmacy waste segregation and management project as part of it’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) program ‘SEHAT’.

Mr. Milind Thatte, Managing Director, P&G Health India said, “Aligned to our vision to create transformative partnerships that enable people, the planet and our business to thrive, we are pleased to announce our collaboration with Lakshya and Recycle India Foundation to promote sustainable healthcare practices at pharmacies. Initial response to our pilot program with participating pharmacies has been encouraging, with baseline survey results demonstrating that less than 20% of pharmacies were segregating waste citing lack of awareness as the key reason. Through learnings from our first pilot, we aim to subsequently scale up this project across other locations and cities in the near future.”

The initiative aims to promote sustainable healthcare practices through an on-ground awareness campaign for pharmacy owners and their staff on appropriate methods of segregating waste materials such as plastic, paper, glass, and biomedical trash including unused or expired medications and supplies, syringes, masks, and disinfectants. When not disposed properly, these substances can pose a threat to human and animal life. During the pilot program, pharmacies will collect the waste materials generated at their respective establishments and segregate them in designated colour-coded dustbins. This material will then be collected periodically and recycled by Recycle India Foundation. Material that cannot be recycled will be disposed of in a responsible manner.

Commenting on the project, Mr. Ashish Agarwal, Secretary, Recycle India Foundation, said, “We are delighted to be a part of this project with P&G Health to equip pharmacists with the knowledge and tools required for effective waste management. In the absence of appropriate segregation and recycling, this waste can harm the environment and human health. We intend to work with committed partners to make waste segregation and recycling an integral part of our daily lives, thereby bringing about a change in the society.”

“Though P&G Health SEHAT (meaning health), it is our constant effort to make a difference to public health, and through this initiative we aim to contribute towards environmental sustainability in healthcare,” added Mr. Thatte.

P&G Health’s ‘SEHAT’ was recently awarded the ‘Best Public Health Program’ at the India Health and Wellness Awards 2022. It comprises a host of programs dedicated to public health. These include ‘Swasthya Sakhi’ a rural community outreach program in partnership with the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) which helps to digitize health information, conduct primary diagnostics of pregnant women, and refer high-risk cases to the nearest Public Health Centres (PHCs); ‘P&G Public Health Scholarship Program’ with Public Health Foundation of India; ‘Yes to Poshan’ in association with Tata Trusts, which aims to advance the nutritional status of women and children in the Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh; and a recent partnership with Mumbai-based not-for-profit Apnalaya to improve maternal and newborn health in Mumbai’s urban slums.