Consumer Medicines Disposal Behavior: Insights Towards a More Sustainable Chain

Abstract

The amount of waste related to the improper disposal of medicines by the end consumer increases propositionally to the pharmaceutical industry’s growth. Although many studies propose public policies that encourage the environmentally proper disposal of medicines, the domestic waste remains the main form of disposal. In this context, there are opportunities for research to understand consumer behavior and, based on this, generate insights to make the medicines chain more sustainable. This study aims to investigate medicine disposal behavior of consumers in Southern Brazil. A quantitative research was conducted through the application of a survey with a non-probabilistic sample of 204 consumers. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics through frequency analysis. The results show that most consumers discard end-of-use medicines in the household waste, sink or toilet. Consumers say they have not received information or guidelines for environmentally proper disposal. Based on the findings, insights are provided to stimulate pro-environmental consumer behavior and to the design of circular business models in the pharmaceutical supply chain.