Medline announced two new healthcare sustainability programs. The programs, a Green Product Portfolio and a Sustainable Packaging Lab, will help hospitals reduce the amount of product waste coming out of their facilities. 

According to a recent industry report, the United States is the world’s highest emitter of health care greenhouse gases, accounting for 27% of the global health care footprint.

“More and more, we are hearing directly from hospitals that they understand the negative consequence their environmental footprint can have on their patient population,” says Hannah Anderson, Medline sustainability specialist. “There is a culture change happening to find ways to make their supply chain more sustainable. Being a primary medical supplier partner, we are well positioned to help customers develop meaningful and actionable strategies to improve the health of patients in the communities they serve through sustainability.”

Medline is introducing a new web page to help make it easier for healthcare providers to find and purchase green products. The company currently has over 40 unique product types that meet Medline’s Green Product Portfolio Standards, which are informed by Kaiser Permanente’s Environmentally Preferred Purchasing guidelines, the Federal Trade Commission’s Green Guides, and the Environmental Protection Agency’s guidelines. Hospitals can explore products within three key focus areas:

• Environmental services: From wipes to disinfectants, Medline’s green options are Green Seal certified and contain fewer chemicals of concern to help minimize the risk of harm to human health and the environment.
• Healthcare essentials: Essential products like patient gowns, dinnerware and even plastic cups, are consumed at a rapid rate within healthcare. These green essentials products are designed to incorporate more sustainable materials.
• Perioperative care: Operating rooms produce more than 2,000 tons of waste per day. Medline’s suite of products including surgical towels, procedural trays and fluid management systems help minimize waste in a cost-effective manner.

The Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council estimates that 2,800 to 3,500 tons of plastic packaging product waste is generated daily by U.S. healthcare facilities. To help reduce material use and waste, Medline is unveiling a Sustainable Packaging Lab, a cross-functional group consisting of employees who specialize in research and development, engineering, packaging and product design. The group will tackle packaging waste from every step of the process and aims to complete and roll out four new projects by the end of 2021.