There’s no “silver bullet” to making more sustainable changes to your operations, in part because there’s no one way to measure sustainability. And in healthcare packaging, environmental concerns have often taken a backseat in the name of upholding patient safety.
But as Melissa Green, head of global marketing at TekniPlex Healthcare, said in her Innovation Stage talk at PACK EXPO Las Vegas, it’s time for sustainable changes that uphold patient safety, adding, “Sustainability is not about doing less bad, it is about doing more good.”
Green highlighted many examples of “Reduce” from the 3 Rs—reduce, reuse, recycle, plus a fourth, resolve—that may be low-hanging fruit at your organization, many of which aren't confined to the healthcare industry.
- Go digital: Use digital records versus paper records. Green asked, “How many quality manuals, process instructions, etc. are still in paper binders in our facilities?”
- Lighting: Offices and production sites can switch to more efficient lighting like LEDs, and motion sensors can be added to ensure lights aren't left on when no one's in an office. Additionally, unplug devices when not in use (within reason).
- Smart travel: As Green noted, if COVID taught us anything, it’s that we can still do business without face-to-face interaction.
- Supply chain considerations: Take advantage of local suppliers to minimize transportation costs wherever possible.
- Energy: Source electricity from renewable sources like solar and wind.
Green added that it’s important to challenge your production teams to do better to reduce scrap in all areas of your process. “Many of these may seem obvious, but the question is have you already implemented them? Because the obvious is often overlooked,” she said.
