Around the world, millions of people living with chronic diseases depend on medical devices. Once used, many of these devices end up in landfills or are incinerated, wasting tonnes of valuable materi-als that could be recycled. As the number of people dependent on our solutions increases, so does our obligation to help address some of the related environmental issues: climate change, resource scarcity, pollution, and plastic waste.
We have committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2045 across our value chain. To get there, we must do our part to minimise the use of virgin fossil-based plastic. We are working to reduce our consumption of plastic and change the plastics we use to non-virgin fossil types. We’re also finding new ways to avoid waste by turning it into something useful again. ReMed™ is an innovative testament to that commitment.
ReMed™ is built on the success of our local take-back pilot programmes, enabling pen users to return their used pens to give the plastic a new life. We are working to expand the programme globally to reach more people.
Yes, ReMed™ is the overarching programme name used to describe all take-back initiatives in Novo. As of September 2026, ReMed™ consists of take-back projects in Denmark, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, France and Brazil.
Millions of people around the world rely on medical injection pens to manage chronic diseases. Many used injection pens end up in landfills or are incinerated, wasting tonnes of valuable materials. By collecting and recycling used injection pens, these materials can be kept in use for longer. In this way, we can help reduce waste and the need for new virgin resources.
Current guidance varies from country to country, but often, used pens end up in general household waste and ultimately in landfills or incineration plants, which is far from an optimal solution. That’s why we’re joining forces with patients, patient organisations, pharmacies, authorities and industry partners to collect and recycle the valuable materials, making them available for use in other products.
Depending on the local take-back initiative and local market guidance and rules, users either return their injection pens to their pharmacy, hospital or mail them back directly.
Please check the instructions on the local websites of the projects in Denmark, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, France and Brazil.
Unfortunately, no. For the moment, only the patients in countries where Novo is running a take-back initiative can return their injection pens: Brazil, Denmark, France, Japan and the UK.
Once an injection pen is returned, it is transported to our recycling partner. Here, the pen is crushed and separated into different material fractions that undergo a series of processes to prepare the materials for new uses.
We are paying a lot of attention to this by integrating circular design principles in product and process design. The important thing is to ensure the materials contribute to products designed to last and that we, by recycling the material, are reducing the need for fossil-based non-recycled materials. Together, this ensures that we help reduce the demand for more resources and make the most of the ones we already have.
