Packaging, supply & logistics Centre for Sustainable Healthcare on circularity
Dr Matt Sawyer, senior sustainability analyst at the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare, is keen to reiterate that medtech packaging is only one element of products’ life cycles. Circularity, through take-back schemes or reverse logistics chains, is probably vital, he recommends. “Certainly, that which can’t be returned for a second life should be reusable for an alternate function and if not, ideally be single-material and 100% recyclable. “For instance, if an electronic device is produced and packaged safely to avoid damage during logistics, return of the packaging for use by the manufacturer for the delivery of the subsequent electronic device makes sense,” he adds, citing reusing supermarket trolleys.
“If packaging must be recycled not reused, single materials are easiest. One
diffi culty with newer bio-based products is their easy mixing with ‘traditional’ items, contaminating waste streams and rendering [them] neither recyclable nor biodegradable. Oil-based plastic may be indistinguishable from a bio-based or starch polymer, so correct waste segregation is essential. “Overall, medtech manufacturers should collaborate with waste and circular economy experts when designing.”
company, patients and markets. Baxter, whose product portfolio serves over 350 million patients annually in over 100 countries, focuses on waste management, from product design and materials use to manufacturing processes and distribution. “In medtech, where safety, performance and regulatory compliance are paramount, we focus on applying waste reduction initiatives that are both responsible and practical,” says Renae Kezar, Baxter’s inaugural chief sustainability officer. Another priority is scaling circular economy principles across operations and Baxter’s nearly 40 manufacturing sites worldwide. In 2024, Baxter’s Swiss site reprocessed and resold approximately 919 tonnes (t) of plastic by-product from manufacturing, collecting plastic by-product from manufacturing, reprocessing it into small plastic resin granules and selling them. This approach lets Baxter reuse plastic by-products from moulding and extrusion processes, rather than sending them for disposal.
“While there is some willingness to pay for environmentally preferable alternatives, generally cost is one of the top factors in purchasing decisions.”
Kevin Stead, BD
On the other side of the world, Baxter’s Colombian facility recently underwent a circular economy pilot, informing broader materials and waste management. Back in Europe, Baxter’s Hillrom HR900 hospital beds incorporate approximately 36% recycled materials and carry NF Environnement Ameublement certification, and its facility in Lille uses reusable plastic boxes to ship total parenteral nutrition products without cardboard. In 2024, 32% of pallets shipped to the continent’s customers were recovered for Baxter’s reuse, with an additional 12% sold to carriers for reuse.
Where to start It’s a complicated, crowded area, so could be
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challenging for companies, regardless of scale, to know how to launch their own proceedings.
Stead advises reducing energy usage and improving operational efficiency as first steps in reducing GHG emissions. This is followed by increasing the use of less or non-emissive alternatives, such as renewables. Clean energy along the value chain is important. Siemens Healthineers’ near-term and long-term decarbonisation targets are validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and align with achieving net-zero emissions across operations and the value chain. A spokesperson explained how its Scope 3 target “encompasses the global upstream and downstream value chain”. Particularly relevant are supplier engagement and training; optimising transportation; promoting circularity and sustainable product design; product energy efficiency; and customer education/engagement, with packaging an important lever.
Siemens Healthineers’ packaging strategy is informed by circularity, reuse and resource efficiency, ensuring “resilience across markets and regulatory environments”. Reusable transport solutions, for example, enable it to circulate packaging multiple times, and large systems like angiography equipment or CT gantries are delivered on dedicated platforms that are recollected, reconditioned and reintroduced into logistics loops.
Circular design plays a key role in its transformation. “By increasingly relying on mono-material solutions, we simplify recycling and systematically reduce waste streams. We continuously optimise the use of resources throughout our packaging systems. Our strengthened recycling chains help limit the need for virgin materials, and we’ll work closely with suppliers to advance these efforts and ensure they actively contribute to the shared responsibility for more sustainable material flows,” Siemens Healthineers added. Transportation focuses on increasing packaging reuse between sites, with plans to “increase the share of less GHG-intense transportation modes” like sea freight, supporting the transition to sustainable biofuels.
In diagnostic logistics, Siemens Healthineers ships speciality laboratory reagents with new packaging, reducing volume and replacing plastic inlays with cardboard – changes expected to eliminate about 39t of polystyrene use and 161t of CO2 emissions annually.
equivalent
Packaging up good deals for patients Companies are keen to reassure end users that protection and safety remain a priority. Kezar feels product end-of-life recycling often comes up, particularly in healthcare settings where waste can pile up quickly but there are regulatory constraints around clinical waste protocols. Customers want ways to reuse materials, join take-
www.medicaldevice-developments.com
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