Carbon hotspot: reducing inhalers Aims Why Reducing carbon emissions of inhalers by 50% over the next 10 years Reduce unnecessary prescribing of inhalers and shift to lower carbon options where clinically appropriate Improve knowledge about inhaler use through training Increase the recovery and recycling rates for used propellant canisters Develop alternatives with less impact on climate change or better efficiency 70% of inhalers prescribed in the UK are metered-dose inhalers, which contain fluorinated gases (F-gases) as propellants, which are potent greenhouse gases There are more than 65m inhalers prescribed every year, a very high proportion of which go to landfill with almost half of their usable propellant left inside The impact of these propellants is equivalent to the carbon emissions from all NHS road mileage in England, including business travel and emergency vehicles

How The National Working Group on Reducing the Climate Change Impact of Inhalers is chaired by the SDU. They are collaborating and engaging with industry to build a comprehensive delivery plan for the coming years. This is work in progress as we put together the 19/20 plan The plan is likely to include: Offering patients lower carbon options depending on clinical and medical suitability, for example dry powder inhalers; MDIs with lower volume of propellant, less puff per dose or visible dose meters Supporting better prescribing practices, including more accurate diagnosis and reducing over-prescribing Improving recovery and recycling levels of inhalers, including the canisters and propellant left over Encouraging better training on inhaler use, with regular reviews Collaborating with industry to develop propellants with less impact on climate change