The self-care industry is committed to sustainable development

The Latin American Industry of Responsible Self-Care (ILAR) and the Global Self-Care Federation (GSCF), launched an unprecedented global commitment to promote the sustainable development of the sector.

This is the Agreement for Environmentally Sustainable Self-care, which in Latin America is led by ILAR and commits its members and allies: national associations dedicated to self-care and over-the-counter medicines, as well as companies that manufacture these products in the region.

The Convention recognizes that sustainability is inextricably linked with people’s health and well-being, and establishes the goal of reducing the impact on the environment of self-care products, which are over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. acronym in English), nutritional supplements, including minerals and vitamins, and medical devices for personal use ”.

The commitment made focuses on three priority areas in which the sector can have the greatest impact and influence: plastics and packaging, pharmaceuticals in the environment and the carbon dioxide (CO2) footprint.

GSCF CEO Judy Stenmark highlighted that voluntary and proactive action in the self-care sector is essential to find urgent and sustainable solutions that address the environmental impact of healthcare.

“I am pleased to see this commitment come true at a time when we are seeing a collective movement by companies to address sustainability through tangible results. This document provides an ambitious platform for everyone globally to drive innovation in sustainability, “he said.

The general director of ILAR, Juan Thompson, assured for his part that the industry “is aware of the environmental challenges facing” the planet and the “urgency of actions focused on improving people’s health care, among others. needs ”, which motivates this entity to“ undertake actions to achieve the objectives agreed in the Agreement ”.

Thus, within the framework of the commitment to sustainability, ILAR promotes actions such as the creation of a working group in order to share strategies and best practices on environmental sustainability among its members, thus allowing the expansion and replication of models that can be applied in different countries in the region.

The industry also promotes regulatory norms that allow stimulating the use of information technologies in the labeling of over-the-counter medicines, such as quick response or QR codes.

“It is essential to continue with the adoption and promotion of the practice of self-care in Latin America, and for this, access to health products and information for patients must be the pillar of our strategy and plans. Taking into account the new advances in technology, we can and must go beyond the current regulation to guarantee up-to-date and safe information on over-the-counter drugs, ”said the president of the ILAR Board of Directors, José Antonio Valdez.

Integrating these new information technologies into self-care products has multiple benefits, including improved access and availability of data on over-the-counter drugs for responsible use.

Also inclusion, by enabling this information for people with disabilities through the use of devices and other tools that they currently use, or could use, as support.

The technologies also help reduce media and minimize the environmental footprint required to provide this information to the user in a comprehensive and up-to-date manner.

“Currently, countries such as Argentina, Brazil and Colombia are discussing projects that seek to implement initiatives for digital labeling and the use of QR codes for products such as over-the-counter drugs, with the aim of providing greater accessibility to information and supporting the practice of self-care. sustainable in Latin America ”, said ILAR.