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Sustainability Container Systems
Healthcare professionals around the world are looking for new ways to make their activities and the medical service they provide more sustainable and environmentally friendly. As the climate challenge comes into ever sharper focus, everyone from hospital managers, to physicians, to nurses, to logistic staff and procurement officers are endeavoring to do their part to improve sustainability and environmental performance in the healthcare sector.
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A cover story in the American Hospital Association’s journal Health Facilities Management identifies three key areas – energy use, waste reduction and supply chain management – in which more and more hospitals are taking their first steps, and in the process achieving “real progress through effective, efficient and often cost-effective sustainability measures”. [2]
Focus on waste reduction
Waste generation is a major environmental concern in the healthcare sector, especially in the sterilization of surgical instruments. Sterile containers and single-use wrap are two common options for packaging sterile goods, but they have different impacts on waste production and disposal.
Learn more about waste reduction
Reducing the environmental impact of sterilization packaging for surgical instruments in the operating room: a comparative life cycle assessment of disposable versus reusable systems.
Learn more about the studyBecause of
AESCULAP® sterile containers produce less than one half the CO2e – and in use scenarios without recycling – less than one quarter the CO2e than blue wrap over 5,000 use cycles.
Because of
AESCULAP® sterile containers generate dramatically lower eco-costs (a comprehensive sustainability metric) than blue wrap. Over 5,000 use cycles, the eco-costs of RSCs are less than one half of those for blue wrap – and in the common use scenario where blue wrap is not recycled – RSC eco-costs are over fives times less than those for blue wrap.
It is estimated that alone in the USA, 115 million kilograms of such single-use wrap are used and thrown away each year. [7]
While it certainly makes sense to try to recycle such waste more effectively, not generating it at all has even more environmental benefits. And the low-waste generation course of action available with rigid sterile containers delivers both excellent performance and lower long-term costs – while at the same time eliminating a significant source of unnecessary plastic use.
Finally, using rigid sterile containers instead of blue wrap for the sterilization of OR equipment offers an important and substantial quick win for healthcare facilities that are aiming to do something important for waste reduction.
[1] J. Karliner, S. Slotterback, R. Boyd, B. Ashby, and K. Steele, 2019, HEALTH CARE’S CLIMATE, FOOTPRINTHealth Care Without Harm, <https://noharm-global.org/documents/health-care-climate-footprint-report>, accessed 29.12.2023.
[2] B.Burmahl, 2021, Hospitals reduce their carbon footprints with sustainable solutions, ASHE, <https://www.hfmmagazine.com/articles/4274-hospitals-reduce-their-carbon-footprints-with-sustainable-solutions> accessed 29.12.2023.
[3] Friedericy, H.J.; van Egmond, C.W.; Vogtländer, J.G.; van der Eijk, A.C.; Jansen, F.W. "Reducing the Environmental Impact of Sterilization Packaging for Surgical Instruments in the Operating Room: A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable versus Reusable Systems”. Sustainability 2022, 14, 430.
[4] D-ST22031 Infographic "Waste Quantity Comparison single-use wrap vs. rigid sterile containers". B. Braun, 2022.
[5] Krohn, M.; Fengler, J.; Mickley, T.; Flessa, S. Analysis of processes and costs of alternative packaging options of sterile goods in hospitals—A case study in two German hospitals. Health Econ. Rev. 2019, 9, 1.
[6] Friedericy, H.J.; van Egmond, C.W.; Vogtländer, J.G.; van der Eijk, A.C.; Jansen, F.W. "Reducing the Environmental Impact of Sterilization Packaging for Surgical Instruments in the Operating Room: A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable versus Reusable Systems”. Sustainability 2022, 14, 430.
[7] Bodkin, Christopher. “Blue Wrap and the Circular Economy”. Published in the Greenbeat Blog, 11.01.2018. https://practicegreenhealth.org/about/news/blue-wrap-and-circular-economy
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