t
SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainability: a concentrated effort
For more than 100 years Chemische Fabrik Dr Weigert has been at the forefront of innovation in the cleaning and disinfection market, setting high standards in hygiene in the medical, laboratory, food and pharmaceutical industries. The CSJ discovers how the organisation is addressing environmental issues.
Alan Abbatt, general manager for Dr Weigert (UK) believes that future success lies in building truly sustainable business practices. “Key issues - including environmental protection, social responsibility, and the way we treat our employees are intrinsically linked to our future business strategy,” he said. “As a chemical company, working in some exacting industries, we believe that we have a special responsibility to make both our manufacturing processes and our products as eco-friendly as possible. “Headquartered in Germany, we automatically have to comply with stringent environmental standards and, in line with the company’s environmental policies, we constantly strive to exceed the standards required by law. Therefore, it should come as
no surprise that Dr Weigert fulfil all the requirements for certification in line with DIN EN 14001 (environmental management), 9001 (quality management) and 13485 (quality management for medical devices).”
Research and development
All Dr Weigert’s products begin as an idea in the research and development laboratories in Hamburg. Many of these ideas are inspired by the challenges facing the company’s customers in the market, and the research and development team is consistently challenging the status quo, in a bid to ensuring that the chemicals are not only the best on the market, but are also aligned with customers’ requirements. “Dr Weigert is a member of many
respected hygiene associations both in Germany and across Europe, with representatives from the company proactively engaging with external providers to ensure that we are always up to date with current microbiological findings and procedures,” noted Alan Abbatt.
“Conversations held at industry meetings are now centred on corporate and environmental responsibility, ensuring that while product efficiency and user safety remain at the forefront of product development, sustainable practices are also a key consideration.
“In the last decade, millions of Euros have been spent on the laboratories at Dr Weigert, ensuring that our state-of-the-art facility contains everything necessary for the creation of innovative cleaning products. High-tech equipment and modern HR practices guarantee the best working conditions. “Our highly skilled laboratory staff have access to the most up-to-date analysis methods such as IR and UV/VIS spectroscopy, HPLC, mass spectrometry and gas chromatography to help facilitate their vital role within the company.” An example of a recent project
undertaken by the R & D team saw the development of an improved formulation of neodisher MediClean forte; used for the automated cleaning of thermostable and thermolabile surgical instruments. In this case, the in-house team was able to develop a formula that removed the need for classified hazardous substances - a development which could have significant environmental and user safety benefits. As with all the buildings at Dr Weigert, the laboratories have been designed in a sustainable manner, addressing the demands for environmental protection with the help of innovative technology. The use of such technologies has helped to reduce the amount of electricity used by the facility by more than half. In addition, heat recovery systems have also been integrated into the
NOVEMBER 2019
WWW.CLINICALSERVICESJOURNAL.COM I 59
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104
