Yesterday, at the headquarters of Chiggiato Spa in Piombino Dese (near Padua), “Driving green. Improving Lives” was presented, an important partnership between Kedrion Biopharma, Chiggiato, Scania and IFAC aimed at the safe, efficient and environmentally friendly transport of plasma.
Within this project, Chiggiato has purchased low environmental impact Scania Hybrid vehicles with special green equipment to allow the donated plasma to be transported.
“We collect about 40,000 donations a week, and 160,000 a month, which are entrusted to Kedrion for the transformation of plasma into plasma-derived medicines”, explained Luca Chiggiato, CEO of Chiggiato S.p.a.. “We collect donations in transfusion centers throughout Italy and now we will be able to do it with the hybrid vehicles we presented today. A huge responsibility for us since the plasma is donated and requires very special conditions to ensure its safe conservation and transport: it must, in fact, be kept at a temperature lower than, or equal to, -20°C. It is therefore very important that the vehicles with which it is transported do not undergo increases in temperature. Our vehicles presented today, equipped by IFAC, fully meet this need.”
Not standard vehicles, therefore, but planned, designed, and engineered to maintain a temperature according to a so-called “static cold” obtained by using eutectic plates, cooling the items being transported to keep them at the optimal temperature.
As Vito Amodio, Sales Manager at IFAC Spa explained: “We studied an ad hoc solution to maintain a constant negative temperature for as long as possible: we had never actually been able to achieve this type of cold conditions in the past. The solution also brings advantages in terms of energy savings equal to 40% compared to other systems.”
An initiative that also testifies Kedrion’s commitment to supporting sustainable projects for people and the environment.
“Working in a strategic sector such as that of plasma-derivatives – explained Danilo Medica, Italy Country Manager at Kedrion Biopharma – means assuming the responsibility of paying maximum attention to plasma: a precious and equally limited raw material, which needs to be stored and transported with extreme care, adopting the highest standards of safety and efficiency. Starting from today, by transporting the plasma collected as part of the service rendered by Kedrion for the benefit of the Italian plasma sector using these vehicles, we are taking a concrete step forward in protecting the environment. We are thrilled that this is happening as part of the solid and lasting collaboration with the National Health System and with the world of blood and plasma donors in Italy. We have long collaborated alongside them to help achieve the country’s goal of self-sufficiency in the production of plasma-derived drugs and thus guarantee patients the care they need.”
“Logistics can play a key role in reducing the impact of polluting emissions and, more generally, mitigating the consequences of our activities on the environment”, concluded Luca Di Palo, Global Logistics, Senior Director at Kedrion Biopharma. “The decision to use hybrid vehicles for plasma collection is a step in this direction, with the strong awareness that we will dedicate more and more energy and resources to identifying innovative and sustainable solutions, capable of responding to the needs of responsible and interconnected mobility”.
At the end of the Round Table, two of the four Scania P360 vehicles already equipped and ready to start transporting the plasma were presented.
