Olivia Friett explores the importance of sustainability in the medical industry.
As another year draws to a close, it’s only natural to be thinking about new year’s resolutions. Everyone makes a resolution in hopes of quitting something, picking up a new hobby or maybe travel more. Why choose a resolution that only affects yourself when you can make such a bigger impact?
Why not choose to go greener? Knowing you’re making a difference to the planet by doing something so simple as recycling or riding a bike to work can be so rewarding.
Sustainability is at the forefront of the medical sector. Between plastic waste, packaging waste and CO2 emissions, the medical industry has a huge impact in the environment. A Health Care Without Harm and ARUP report found that the healthcare’s climate footprint equals 4.4% of global net greenhouse gas emissions. So, many companies now are working hard to be more responsible in reducing their carbon footprint.
Every company has their own unique sustainability goals and while there isn’t one standard solution to improving the environment, there is one goal that everyone is aiming for - becoming carbon net zero. In the UK, the National Health Service is aiming to become the world’s first carbon net zero national health system by 2040. With the influence and power the NHS has, this could have a significant impact in the shift towards everywhere becoming carbon neutral.
Reducing plastic waste is a big challenge in this industry. The best advice is plan, plan, plan. Having a waste management system in place can reduce the amount waste by a lot. Minimising the amount of waste not only reduces harm to the planet, but also reduces costs. Raumedic has reduced their waste per kilogram produced by 35% in the last three years alone and reduced their CO2 emissions by more than 1300 tonnes in the last seven years.
Some materials, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) are not considered eco-friendly, as it is made by a chemical reaction between chlorine, carbon, and ethylene and causes the release of harmful chemicals, which harms the environment. Replacing PVC is no easy feat, as it is low in cost and safe, thus the material of choice for many medical devices. While some companies are working on replacing PVC, it may be easier to recycle the material. In Australia, they have the PVC Recovery in Hospitals initiative, which is a programme aimed at collecting used PVC medical products and recycling them into new products.
A material that is commonly replaced in the medical sector is thermoset rubber. Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPES) are a popular choice across many industries. Both materials behave similarly, however TPEs are able to be recycled more easily. Teknor Apex, is one company that uses TPEs, and have had a lot of recognition for their sustainable work. The company recently received their +Vantage Vinyl certification, by the US Vinyl Sustainability Council for meeting all the necessary requirements. Another medical company that works with TPES, Kuraray, plans on reducing its CO2 emissions by 30% by 2030 and becoming carbon neutral by 2050.
It’s hard to look so far ahead in the future and believe that one industry can make such a difference, but when everyone works together, it will make an impact.