1. 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

2. 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