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Management of Pharmaceutical Household Waste: Limiting Environmental Impacts of Unused or Expired MedicinePharmaceutical household waste from expired or unused medicine does not only offer zero therapeutic benefit, but also contributes to environmental pollution when disposed of via improper routes. Medicines discarded in sinks and flushed down toilets enter sewage waters and, if not filtered out, leak into aquatic systems. Disposal of unused or expired medicines via solid household waste can also result in pharmaceutical residues entering the environment if this

Following a collaborative study by UNEP and the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA), which provided a comprehensive inventory of the publicly available databases on industrial chemicals in commerce, SAICM coordinated the development of an e-learning course to bridge the information gap by improving accessibility to environment, health, and safety (EHS) information for industrial chemicals.In an interactive and engaging way, this course provides guidance on locating and using information on industrial chemicals in commerce and identifies some barriers to identifying

Chemicals and materials policy deals with both the risks and the opportunities of chemicals as well as with the volume of material flows from raw material extraction to waste. As with the policy areas of climate and biodiversity, there is a need for a global transformation in chemicals and materials policy with a strong focus on the guiding principles of precaution and sustainability. The boundaries of our planet must no longer be exceeded.The impacts of chemicals and materials are closely

The integrated approach to financing the sound management of chemicals and waste was proposed to the Governing Council of UNEP, at its twenty-seventh session in 2013, by the Executive Director of UNEP, in his report on the consultative process on financing options for chemicals and wastes.Industry involvement is one of the three pillars of the integrated approach, along with the mainstreaming of the sound management of chemicals and wastes into development planning and dedicated external financing, and it is central

The Summary for Policymakers - Environmental Dimensions of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) launched on the sidelines of UNEA 5.2 taking place from 28 February to 4 March 2022.The report calls to strengthen environmental action within the ‘One Health’ response to AMR, looks at the pollutants that exacerbate AMR in the environment, where they come from, and provides an overview of the environmental action required.

The State of Sustainability Research for Chemicals of Concern identifies the impacts of chemicals of concern within and for the manufacturing of ICT products on human health and the environment and illustrates the need to shift to safer, more sustainable substances in electronics. The research identifies strategies to reduce chemicals of concern through understanding the chemical used within products and processes, determining the health impacts of chemicals, preventing the use of known toxic chemicals, and identifying safer alternatives. Finally, this

Chemicals provide a variety of specific functions in electric and electronic products or in their manufacturing process. However, some of these chemicals are hazardous and can cause concern related to their potential for adverse impacts on human health and the environment. Such impacts can occur throughout the product’s life cycle, including raw material extraction, processing and manufacturing, but also during product use or at end-of-life. However, decisions influencing product ingredients are usually taken at upstream stages of the value chain

The global production and consumption of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) is growing rapidly and EEE has become indispensable in modern societies, enhancing living standards. Currently, the total weight of global EEE consumption (excluding photovoltaic panels) on average increases by 2.5 million metric tons annually. This increasing consumption and production leads to an increase in raw material extraction and accompanying pollution.The options for action proposed in this document are intended to inspire policymakers and to offer guidance on possible entry