Introducing Enviropharm

Niall Barnwell (Founder & CEO)

Enviropharm was founded by Niall Barnwell, a community pharmacist who worked as a locum pharmacist over the course of 3 years.

After completing a BSc. Pharmacy, and MSc. Pharmacy, he worked as a locum pharmacist in hundreds of different stores, and completed a Professional Diploma in Innovation, Creativity, and Leadership studied at the Innovation Academy in UCD while working.

He was alarmed by the volume of plastic packaging, amongst other materials, being discarded in the general waste in pharmacies. The quantity of single-use packaging used to supply medication to patients was enormous. He was startled by the estimated 20,000 single-use plastic medication bottles used on a daily basis across the Irish sector, and 300,000 compliance aids used monthly.
He set up Enviropharm aiming to eliminate single-use plastics from dispensaries, and allow pharmacists to practice in a more sustainable way. He strives to reduce the quantity of materials used, and minimise the use of plastic, non-recyclable, non-renewable and virgin materials.

Why Choose Enviropharm?

• The European Commission has banned the most commonly used single-use plastics that contribute to 70% of marine litter. The Irish Government has banned the use of single-use plastics in the public sector.
• Plastic recycling is no longer acceptable. We currently only recycle about one-third of our plastic as a nation. The rest is either incinerated or gets sent to landfills. Even plastic that is 'recycled’ may not actually be processed for recycling.
• The reality is that plastics are often exported to Asia where they are incinerated or sent to landfill.
• Enviropharm’s compliance aids contain 95% fiber, a recycled material that is renewable, recyclable, and *compostable (*once certification is obtained). All of our competitors use either 100% plastic, or a combination of card, plastic, and other materials, such as foil.
• Such mixed material products cannot be processed for recycling or composting and are sent to landfill, or incinerated.
• Studies have shown that businesses that choose to adopt green practices can serve to build customer loyalty and trust.
• Implementing sustainable policies and products adds credibility to businesses.
• Research indicates that businesses that support social and environmental issues will experience a rise in consumer affinity.
• These combined factors lead to an increase in sales in the long-run.