Skip to content

The climate change emergency and biodiversity loss are fundamental threats to the economic, social and health wellbeing of humanity. EAHP recognises that medicines and the delivery of pharmacy services are important contributors to these threats. EAHP accepts the responsibility to provide leadership to member states in supporting local, regional and European action to minimise the environmental pollution associated with medicines and hospital pharmacy systems.

EAHP Report on Environmental Sustainability (June 2024)

The prescribing and supply of medicines is the most common health intervention. The ever- increasing number and variety of medicines available to our health systems allows us to reduce both the morbidity and mortality of many diseases. With the arrival of new and effective therapies to improve patient outcomes, coupled with reductions in infant mortality, education and lifestyle changes, the average life expectancy of Europeans has increased by more than two decades since the 1960s. However, concerns have been raised not only about the impact of pollution and climate change on biodiversity loss, but also the unprecedented climate patterns experienced globally in recent times. These changes represent fundamental challenges not only to human health, but also to our economic and social wellbeing.

This report will discuss how healthcare activities, including medicines and pharmaceutical care our hospital pharmacy teams provide every day, contribute to the challenges of climate change, environmental pollution, and biodiversity loss. As healthcare professionals, we must look at how we can balance the need to provide the best possible care to our patients whilst minimising the negative effects of healthcare delivery. Against a backdrop of seemingly overwhelming challenges, we know that most hospital pharmacists want to make a positive contribution but may struggle to know how they can best support this effort.

Working Group on Environmental Sustainability

Scope of the activities

The work of the group started its work in January 2023. The first objectives of the working are to increase awareness within the pharmacy profession in Europe and to identify areas relevant where the EAHP could support its member, authorities and other professionals to improve environmental sustainability of the hospitals (e.g., reducing the impact of inhaled anaesthetic, reducing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with pressurised MDI inhalers). 

The Working Group was set up to reduce the environmental burden of hospital pharmacies in the environment and has as objective to connect all relevant stakeholders while gathering best practices and case studies on the topic.

The members of the EAHP Working Group on Environmental Sustainability can be found HERE.

Geographic diversity will be one overarching criterion applied in the selection of the Working Group members. 

Working Group Applications

EAHP considers applications to the Working Group on a rolling basis. Thus, should be interested on joining please contact the EAHP team at  EAHP Project info@eahp.eu.

×

EAHP Forum

All the EAHP team is working on providing a Forum that can help connect all the members in Conversations and Groups to talk about important matters for the European Hospital Pharmacist.

The Forum will be accessible for all the EAHP members, you don’t have to create a new account to browse and participate.

Conversations and groups

The Conversations will be moderated by our team to provide documents and relevant topics for the community.

The Groups will connect all members that share a category. Members who work on the same assocation, on the same hospital, that have the same role, etc.

Stay tuned for the realase of the forum. Soon on EAHP.