Sustainability

Good health and well-being is at the core of Droplet IV. By automating the IV flushing line process we aim to ensure all patients receive full dosage of medicines and at the same time reduce risks of sepsis and other chemical irritations of the vein which can occur during the manual flushing process of today. In essence, our product is there to help get patients out of the hospital quicker.

Additionally, if we don’t keep antibiotics effective, we are looking into a future where we won’t be able to fight infectious diseases and routine hospital treatments will become much more risky due to the lack of effective antibiotics. The global health risk of AMR is critical, thus one of our goals is to strengthen the capacity of all countries to help slow the spread of AMR, this is specifically related to target 3.d. More specifically, we hope to move the needle in the right direction on indicator 3.d.2. which concerns reducing the percentage of bloodstream infections related to antimicrobial resistant organisms. See below for targets and indicators relevant.

Targets and indicators directly impacted by Droplet IV
- Target 3.d: Strengthen the capacity of all countries, in particular developing countries, for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks.
- Indicator 3.d.2: Percentage of bloodstream infections due to selected antimicrobial-resistant organisms

At the heart of Droplet IV is innovation. SDG goal 9 is about fostering innovation. We need to innovate in order to get more out of the things that we are doing today. By automating the manual tasks related to IV infusion we can help nurses do more elsewhere.

Therefore we are specifically supporting technology development (target 9.b.) as well as helping to ensure adoptation of new technologies to increase resource-use efficiency of our nurses (target 9.4.).

Targets and indicators directly impacted by Droplet IV
- Target 9.b: Support domestic technology development, research and innovation in developing countries, including by ensuring a conducive policy environment for, inter alia, industrial diversification and value addition to commodities.
- Indicator 9.b.1: Proportion of medium and high-tech industry value added in total value added).
- Target: 9.4: By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities.
- Indicator 9.4.1: CO2 emission per unit of value added.

Studies show that AMR will lead to a larger gap between the developed and the developing countries (1). If we can help slow AMR we can help promote equalities between the developing and the developed world.

In a 2019 paper by Porooshat Dadgostar published in the Infection and Drug Resistance journal of the National Library of Medicine (NIH - the world’s largest medical library), Dadgostar quotes the following:

“It is estimated that the annual global GDP could decrease by approximately 1% and there would be a 5–7% loss in developing countries by 2050. This percentage ultimately translates into $100-210 trillion. Multidrug- resistant TB alone could cost the world $16.7 trillion by 2050 (1). Due to AMR, the gap between the developing countries and the developed countries will become more pronounced; as a result, inequity will substantially increase. Most of the people who are pushed into extreme poverty as a result of AMR will be specifically from low-income countries.” (source)

Thus, by fighting AMR we are also helping in the fight against poverty. If AMR continues to grow as expected and nothing is done, more and more people will be pushed into poverty which will make it increasingly difficult to progressively achieve and sustain income growth of the bottom 40% of the population, as stated by Target 10.1.

Targets and indicators directly impacted by Droplet IV
- Target 10.1: By 2030, progressively achieve and sustain income growth of the bottom 40 per cent of the population at a rate higher than the national average.
- Indicator 10.1.1: Growth rates of household expenditure or income per capita among the bottom 40 per cent of the population and the total population

At Droplet IV we promote responsible consumption of medicines by helping to eliminate unnecessary medicinal waste through non-flushed IV lines. Medicine belongs in the patient, not in our nature. At Droplet IV we help reduce unnecessary medicinal waste from non-flushed IV lines.

This specifically targets SDG 12.4, which is about sound management of chemicals and minimising how much we release into our environment. It is clear that AMR is growing both due to the improper usage in humans (who underdose or are presrecribed antibiotics when unnecessary) as well as when we throw medicinal waste into nature allowing for bacteria to become resistant. See below for target information.

Targets and indicators directly impacted by Droplet IV
- Target: 12.4: By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment.
- Indicator: 12.4.2: (a) Hazardous waste generated per capita; and (b) proportion of hazardous waste treated, by type of treatment