Examples for our global product stewardship initiatives

• Environmental risk assessments

  We are not only responsible for clean production, but also for ensuring our products have minimal impact on the environment. When registering new products, an environmental risk assessment is required. This is prepared on the basis of studies on environmental impact and ecotoxicological effects. Furthermore, we assess the environmental data for products already on the market and, where necessary, run further voluntary studies to assess the ultimate impact.

  Assessments to date show that our substances present no risk to man. Moreover, the concentrations detected are far too low to have any acute effect on aquatic organisms. With respect to potential long-term effects we are following ongoing research in this field while conducting our own studies - for instance on chronic toxicity in aquatic organisms.

• Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)

  Boehringer Ingelheim takes the initiative in constantly advancing safe handling and storage of chemicals, both at our sites and at our customers' sites. Therefore, Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) are available for bulk medicinal products as an important component of product stewardship and workplace safety.

  MSDS are an internationally used system for cataloging information on chemicals and are intended to provide workers and emergency personnel with procedures for handling or working with that substance in a safe manner.

• New regulations: REACH and GHS

  Our European sites are intensely working on the implementation of REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals), a cornerstone of the future EU chemicals policy. The objective of the regulation is to enhance safety of all those involved along the product chain and to protect both, consumers and the environment.

  In future, companies will only be permitted to use or market correspondingly registered products. We also started to prepare for UN's GHS (Globally Harmonised System for the Classification and Labelling of Chemicals).

• Phasing out ozone depleting propellants

  The Montreal Protocol and several supplementary, legally binding international agreements lay down the gradual elimination of all production and use of ozone-depleting substances, particularly chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that have been widely used as aerosol propellants

  Of particular relevance to Boehringer Ingelheim is the switch from CFC-driven metered dose inhalers to those propelled by the more environmentally-friendly hydrofluoroalkanes (HFAs). We have already launched HFA products for our established bronchodilators in many countries.

  Boehringer Ingelheim has also given much attention to the development of an alternative inhaler device that is propellant-free. The result is the Respimat® Soft Mist ^TM Inhaler, a highly innovative approach to inhaler technology that is designed to meet patients' needs and is also environmentally friendly.