Amid increasing public pressure and environmental concerns regarding single-use plastic waste, medical companies are faced with the daunting task of improving sustainability in packaging while maintaining the critical safety, regulatory and performance requirements of their packaging solutions. Medical packaging contributes to between 30% - 50% (or more) of the medical waste stream and sustainable packaging is becoming a key part of the purchasing decision process.
Now, more than ever, it is important for companies to take a holistic approach to evaluating material alternatives to ensure that packaging solutions offer true improvements to sustainability & recyclability that will meet organizational goals long-term. While strategies such as design for recyclability and plastic waste reduction are key to achieving organizational and industry-wide targets, companies seeking a more data-driven approach may turn to Life-cycle assessments (LCA) to inform and support sustainable packaging decisions.While there are many ways to define “sustainability”, the most reputable way to analyze and compare the environmental impact of materials is through a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). LCAs can give packaging suppliers and medical OEMs data on the environmental impact of materials and offer a way for companies to analyze the environmental impacts of an entire product life cycle, from sourcing and manufacturing, to distribution, use and end-of-life These powerful tools can offer companies a reputable, science-based methodology to help support business decisions for a more sustainable product portfolio.
What is a Life Cycle Assessment?
When analyzing the environmental impact of your medical packaging solution, it is important to consider all stages where potential impacts can occur. Industrial activities can impact the environment in many ways and at varying times over the course of a products “life.” While some impacts occur immediately, others occur farther down the supply chain, making it difficult for companies to grasp the true environmental impact of their products. As such, LCAs can be particularly useful to gain a complete perspective.
A Life Cycle Assessment is defined as, “the systematic analysis of environmental impacts over the course of the entire life cycle of a product, material, process, or other measurable activity.” The various stages of the product lifecycle typically include material extraction, production, packaging & distribution, use, and end-of-life phases including waste treatment or recovery. At each stage, natural resources including energy, materials & water, are used while wasted material, energy, and emissions are created.
Every LCA sets out specific environmental impact categories as determined by the performer of the LCA. These categories can include:
- Climate change (contribution to global warming)
- Acidification (contribution to the occurrence of acid rain)
- Energy (cumulative energy demand and loss throughout a life cycle)
- Eutrophication (the release of nitrogen and phosphorous, which leads to algal blooms)
- Radiation
- Land use
- Air pollution
- Resource depletion
- Water consumption
- Transportation
- Ecotoxicity (the release of toxins that are harmful to life)
Those performing the LCA select metrics based on their packaging & material choices, to quantify the cumulative environmental impacts experienced of the product’s lifecycle.
What are the benefits of doing an LCA?
While definitions of sustainability may seem abstract and vary based on organizational goals and targets, an LCA helps make the information concrete and standardized through the use of peer-reviewed scientific data on environmental impacts. Aside from the benefit of actionable data, there are several key benefits that organizations can experience by conducting an LCA in support of packaging decisions and modifications:
- Ensure decisions are in alignment with goals: In the absence of data, companies can unknowingly make a choice that improves sustainability in one area, while detracting from it in another. For example, a company interested replacing non-recyclable PS packaging may look to switch to PET, which has a robust recycling stream in the US for certain formats. However, PET is heavier than PS, which means that while the packaging may be recyclable in the future, that it will result in increased material consumption, which will result in increased environmental impacts over the course of the product life-cycle.
- Ensure solutions are truly sustainable: When accurately performed, LCAs can help decision-makers gain a full perspective on the cumulative environmental impacts of their sustainability initiatives. Relying on peer-reviewed data can help substantiate environmental claims and give companies confidence that their decisions or modifications are based on science and avoid potential claims greenwashing.
- Ensure solutions are in alignment with regulatory standards: As more countries implement legislation and taxation policies for plastic packaging and waste reduction, LCAs can help manufacturers and medical OEMs achieve and support compliance with the evolving regulatory landscape.
How can Impact Plastics help?
Ultimately, regardless of sustainability goals the packaging cannot fall short of serving its intended purpose or compromise on safety and regulatory expectations. Choosing the right healthcare packaging material and design is therefore critical to ensuring patient safety, performance, sterility, and effectiveness until the point of care.
Impact Plastics is committed to helping our customers employ strategies for improved sustainability and design recyclable packaging solutions without sacrifice to essential safety, regulatory and performance requirements. To learn more about how our sustainable packaging solutions for medical and pharmaceutical applications can help you reach your sustainability goals, reach out to our team for a custom LCA:
