Akrikhin became the first pharmaceutical company in the Russian market to support the social project on the blisters separate collection and recycling named Green Box. The cooperation agreement was signed in December 2023 and covers more than 200 collection points – the first containers were installed in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The project's geography covers four regions and will expand with the appearance of new pickup locations.

The social project is being implemented on the initiative of the pharmaceutical portal INFARM and several medical institutions that have supported the initiative. In addition to 50 medical and pharmacy organizations in Moscow and St. Petersburg, which have provided their patients and customers with the opportunity to return used blister packaging, healthcare organizations from other regions of the country have expressed their intention to join the project. The first collection points have been opened in the Moscow and Ryazan regions. By the end of 2024, the initiative aims to increase its coverage to 200 stationary collection points for used blister packaging.

The National Environmental Company (NEC), one of the leading waste management enterprises with technology for the full cycle processing of blister packaging, has become a strategic partner of the initiative. Partnership with NEC enables the most efficient and safe processing of collected blisters.

Before, almost all used blister packs ended up in a landfill along with household waste. This is due to the fact that PVC-aluminum blister packs are not subject to standard recycling, like regular plastic. Considering the growing volume of consumption, amounting to several billion units of medicine packaging sold annually only in Russia, year by year the problem was acquiring catastrophic proportions.

In a short time, the initiative for separate collection of blister packaging has gained wide recognition and appreciation from consumers who seek to show care for the environment, as today it is perhaps the only effective way to address the problem of accumulating waste generated from the consumption of medicinal products.

After Akrikhin joined the social project for separate collection of blister packaging, the initiative entered a new stage of development, bringing together all key stakeholders in the pharmaceutical industry in an effort to demonstrate care for the environment, implement the principles of social responsibility in practice, and take a significant step towards conscious consumption.

In addition to the technical organizers of the project, the initiative now brings together concerned consumers, medical organizations, pharmacy organizations, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and volunteers.

Participation in the initiative will make it possible to put into practice a new format of interaction based on the principles of ESG, social responsibility and a responsible attitude towards nature.

It is important that anyone can join the initiative, as openness and accessibility are the fundamental principles of the project, aimed at promoting a responsible attitude towards nature and conscious consumption. First of all, the project is designed for consumers of medicines and dietary supplements in blister packaging, who have the opportunity to return empty blisters to a special container and be sure that the blister will not end up in a landfill, which will be processed separately from the client’s waste.

The project is also open to healthcare organizations (hospitals, clinics, pharmacies) that have the opportunity to provide a place for a special container and declare their commitment to the principle of respect for nature. For pharmaceutical companies and distributors who can not only minimize their harmful impact on the environment, but also implement corporate ESG policies and, in the future, expect to put into practice the benefits of proactive participation in the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) mechanism. And, of course, for volunteers, through whose efforts the project develops and becomes popular and recognizable.

Official website: https://greenbox.eco