Our editor Laura Hughes looks to the year ahead, and some of the major challenges plastic material manufacturers may face within the medical sector.
At a time when society is so focused on sustainability and protecting our environment, excessive and non-recyclable packaging materials simply won’t cut it. Well-known retailers such as Amazon have been criticised for this, resulting in the company taking extra measures to satisfy consumer demands.
Plastic faces extra challenges also as unlike cardboard and other packaging materials it isn’t always recyclable. Plastics such as PolyEthylene Terephthalate (PET) which is used for single use clear plastic bottles and Low-Density PolyEthylene (LDPE) which is used in squeezable bottles will continue to be used without issues in the future as these plastics can be recycled. Non-recyclable plastics, however, may experience a decline in the use of these materials whilst they are replaced with more sustainable plastic alternatives as these become available.
I think it will be really important to change some people’s perceptions on plastics. The material is sometimes thought of in a negative light. However, the material offers a huge range of advantages to our healthcare and lives that would not be possible without plastics. I don’t believe people realise how many and which plastics can actually be recycled and as we all become more knowledgeable on this, we will be able to recycle more and make more sensible choices, both healthcare professionals and non-healthcare professionals alike.
I also believe increasingly smaller devices will continue to be popular through 2020. A small size is advantageous for implants into areas such as the brain. Additionally, as medical devices continue to be developed with wireless technology in mind, the devices are naturally developed to be smaller and more portable than previous medtech. With these wireless devices additional challenges present from a cybersecurity standpoint, and it is important for medical device manufacturers to consider the security of the devices during development, and not when they are on the market.
As 200,000 global trade visitors headed to last year’s well-known plastics trade fair, the K Show and Grand View Research stated that the medical polymers market was predicted to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 8.4% through 2020, it is clear to me that the medical plastics market is still an exciting and growing industry to be in.