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Water is a precious resource, and, for our sector, the production and use of high-quality water is essential to making effective and safe medicines. To this end, we look for ways to reduce our consumption and find better mechanisms of treatment. We have corporate standards and guidelines that meet or exceed local requirements regarding the treatment and management of wastewater effluents. We prioritize measurement of numerous water quality attributes that help identify water quality degradation, either in the form of depleted oxygen levels (total suspended solids and chemical oxygen demand) or toxicity to human and aquatic life (nitrates), to determine discharge of general pollutants.
At BMS, we are committed to protecting human health and the environment by conducting business in an environmentally responsible and sustainable manner. In upholding our Principles of Integrity, we integrate principles of resource conservation, pollution prevention and environmental responsibility into our business processes, facilities, operations and products. We also conduct environmental risk assessments on all our products, starting in the development phase through launch, to better understand and address any potential environmental impacts, in compliance with applicable regulatory requirements. We also make all the captured data available on our product Safety Data Sheets (SDS).
Pharmaceuticals have been found in the environment for decades, but with advancements in environmental monitoring and detection rates, the number of pharmaceuticals identified has increased. While the primary source of pharmaceuticals reaching the environment is through human use and subsequent excretion into wastewater systems, the improper disposal of unused medicines and manufacturing effluent discharge can also serve as secondary sources.
Additionally, we are involved with the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) in Europe, a public-private partnership between the European Union and the European pharmaceutical industry. Bristol Myers Squibb took a leading role in an IMI project called iPiE, Intelligence-led Assessment of Pharmaceuticals in the Environment, and co-led an effort that created an innovative model for predicting the concentrations of human drugs in European watersheds. The project also established a public database (i-pie sum) that provides environmental and toxicology data on human drugs.
Released as a set of strategic actions by the European Commission in 2019, the European Union Strategic Approach to PiE was driven in part by the UN Sustainable Development Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, to encourage further innovation and understanding in the area of PiE and provide a framework for coordinated direction on future efforts.
In September 2020, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the Strategic Approach to PiE that highlighted the importance of a holistic approach to counteract potential risks from PiE. In addition, the European Commission’s Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe released in November 2020 includes provisions that complement and build on the Strategic Approach to PiE.
The pharmaceutical industry acknowledges the concerns raised by stakeholders and is committed to efforts to better understand and address PiE issues, as well as minimizing the impact that manufacturing, development and distribution of medicines have on the environment.
