Balancing Wellness and Waste: Sustainable Solutions for Medical Packaging

Sustainability presents a significant challenge for healthcare facilities, largely due to the industry’s reliance on single-use, disposable products. While single-use disposables are crucial for reducing infection, contamination risk and mortality rates, they also generate considerable waste.

Healthcare organizations working to reduce waste must collaborate with medical packaging and device manufacturers to develop products aligned with sustainability goals. Manufacturers can meet these demands by simplifying packaging, reducing material usage and incorporating sustainable materials.

Simplify Medical Packaging

According to the Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council, U.S. hospitals produce approximately 14,000 tons of waste daily. Addressing excess medical waste while maintaining regulatory compliance can be achieved through downgauging — reducing the amount of packaging used.

“The medical packaging, pharmaceutical and medical device markets are affected by strict change management regulations. This creates a tough environment for manufacturers to navigate,” said Josh Blackmore, Global Healthcare Manager at M. Holland.

Stringent regulatory environments can make OEMs reluctant to change processes and materials for approved medical devices, but Josh encourages manufacturers to take a second look. “Eighty-five percent of hospital waste is non-hazardous, so reducing the amount of packaging material used is a great place to start when working toward more sustainable solutions,” he said.

Efficient packaging design and optimized material selection can substantially impact medical waste and sustainability initiatives. For example, medical packaging manufacturers who use lighter-weight materials can effectively protect their products and generate less waste.

Reassess Packaging Material

Using more sustainable materials can also help address the waste problem. Manufacturers often hesitate to change how they produce medical packaging, pharmaceutical packaging and devices because of strict approval standards. Fortunately, the quality of sustainable options like bioplastics and recycled materials are coming of age to meet the healthcare industry’s needs.

The evolution of advanced recycling technology such as chemical recycling makes it possible for hard-to-recycle plastic waste to be converted into recycled polymers. Advanced recycling methods can generate recycled plastic feedstock with the same mechanical properties as virgin polymers such as polypropylene and polyethylene, but methods are evolving and may expand to other polymer types in the next five to seven years. Recycled materials support a circular economy and decrease waste from single-use disposables without compromising device performance, regulatory compliance or patient safety. Advanced recycled resins can be a drop-in replacement for existing materials, decreasing the research and development time that might otherwise be spent exploring sustainable packaging for medical devices and pharmaceutical products.

Bioplastics — plastics made wholly or in part from renewable feedstock sources, such as sugarcane and corn — offer manufacturers a sustainable alternative to virgin plastic. Polylactic acid (PLA) and polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) are examples of bioplastics currently in use. PLA mimics traditional plastics like ABS, polyethylene, polystyrene and polypropylene. Made from sugars found in corn, cassava or sugarcane, PLA was used throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to create ventilator components and manufacture personal protective equipment. Alternatively, PHAs are derived from the seeds of plants such as canola and soy. It is a sustainable polymer option for single-use consumables and food-grade packaging, including films.

While re-evaluating material use, Josh recommends manufacturers use one material for an entire product if possible. “Using multiple materials in medical packaging complicates its ability to be recycled,” said Josh. “Reducing the number and variety of materials helps promote a more sustainable and circular product journey overall.” Using mixed materials could endanger the recycling system. Simplifying medical packaging, pharmaceutical packaging and devices makes sorting and recycling waste easier.

Re-Evaluate Medical Devices

Reducing packaging complexity and strategic material selection contribute to a more sustainable healthcare industry. However, designing truly sustainable medical devices requires close coordination between manufacturers and medical organizations.

“OEMs should investigate how the device is used and packaged and work closely with material engineers to help create more sustainable medical devices,” said Josh. “Could a single-use product be reusable to avoid unnecessary waste? Can the overall dimensions of the product be reduced to require less material and packaging? Do all the packaging materials need to be medical grade? These are just the first considerations on a path to device sustainability.”

In addition, Josh advises medical device manufacturers to look for suitable, sustainably produced material substitutes. He recommends partnering with a medical resin specialist or material suppliers to create a closed-loop system for medical device waste and enable recycling whenever possible. Like packaging, Josh suggests creating complete devices with one material to make recycling easier and prioritizing device elements that can be recycled or returned and remanufactured. “It’s good to get your resin supplier involved early in the product development cycle, as suppliers often have the most updated information on medical-grade resins and sustainable materials,” he said.

Reconsider Recycling

Medical devices are not the only products that can be made more sustainable through reuse. The linear take-make-dispose approach is common in the healthcare industry, but non-hazardous waste can often be recycled or reclaimed to maximize material value and minimize waste disposal. Examples of non-hazardous medical waste include plastic packaging, glass, paper and cardboard.

According to Josh, one thing to keep in mind is the educational element that comes into play when prioritizing recycling. “It is important that recyclable products are clearly labeled to avoid being thrown away unnecessarily by busy healthcare professionals,” he said. “Where possible, educate medical professionals on the proper way to handle recyclable materials with clearly printed packaging instructions.”

Improving Sustainability in Healthcare

Offering sustainable product alternatives for the healthcare industry can improve environmental impact, enhance brand reputation and give an edge against non-sustainable competitors. If packaging and medical devices fail to serve their intended purpose in a safe and effective manner, they will not help drive sustainability.

Sustainable changes must balance product performance, sterility and efficacy with healthcare regulations and patient safety. Medical packaging, pharmaceutical packaging and device manufacturers should partner with vendors and healthcare facilities to design a sustainable alternative that fulfills its intended purpose.

M. Holland’s Healthcare, Sustainability and Packaging groups are specifically focused on meeting the needs of medical device and pharmaceutical packaging manufacturers. Our goal is the same as yours — supporting the creation of safe, effective and sustainable healthcare packaging and medical devices.

This article was originally published as Improving Sustainability in Healthcare Packaging on April 26, 2022 and has since been updated for accuracy and relevance.