Ferrer, the first pharmaceutical company committed to recovering waste medicines in Costa Rica

At Ferrer, we are taking action in Costa Rica to fight for a liveable planet. As another demonstration of our commitment to making a positive impact in society, in June 2021, we started a program in Costa Rica to recover expired or disused medicines that were in doctors' offices, in presentation of a medical sample.

Why? The reason is very clear, for the year 2006 it was estimated that 3,784 tons of ordinary (or municipal) waste were generated per day in Costa Rica, which is equivalent to an increase of 2.7 times what was produced in 1991. Urban areas generate approximately 1.1 kilograms of waste per person per day.

Ferrer is the first pharmaceutical company to commit to recovering waste medicines in the country. Our objectives are to raise awareness in the Costa Rican population about the impact of proper waste management and educate and inform about practices at home for proper waste management. Our intention is to expand the initiative to other countries in the Central American region as of 2022, and together support the transition towards a model based on circular economy and sustainability.

In the last 6 months, we have collected 525 Kg of obsolete or expired medicines. This large quantity of materials will not go to landfill, will not contaminate water sources, will not pose a risk of poisoning, nor will it be used by counterfeiters. Thanks to this alliance, Ferrer's sales representatives carry out reverse logistics, remove expired products and transfer them to a safe place, so that they can be managed responsibly, as established by Costa Rican law.

In April, this initiative will also be launched in Guatemala, one of the largest countries in the Central American region, as a demonstration of our commitment and the success of the program.

All these materials - medicines, as well as paper, cardboard, and plastic packaging - are accounted for by the ecoins platform and their equivalent will be donated to a social or environmental impact cause at the end of the first year of the program.