Coveris, Sabic and other partners have developed a project for the circular economy in the healthcare sector. The full-circle project recycles used medical plastic packaging into new contact-sensitive packaging.
Plastic waste from hospitals is a growing challenge. In Europe alone an estimated 1,700 kilotonnes annually of uncontaminated medical waste made from polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) is incinerated - even though it is technically recyclable. Although the healthcare sector must prioritise sterility and patient safety, these standards often make it difficult to implement circular solutions.
Together with Sabic, the Zuyderland Medical Centre, the healthcare brand Artivion and other partners, Coveris has now successfully demonstrated that a circular economy is indeed possible for medical packaging. As part of Sabic's Trucircle initiative, a model has been developed for converting hospital waste into high-quality, contact-sensitive packaging. the first closed-loop circular economy initiative for packaging in the healthcare sector of this type.
The project started in 2024 when the Zuyderland Medical Centre in the Netherlands introduced a new waste collection concept targeting non-contaminated plastic waste that would otherwise be incinerated. This non-contaminated waste is now collected in separate pink bags and then recycled by Sabic first to pyrolysis oil and then to certified circular polyethylene (PE) - Trucircle PE - which fulfils strict medical standards. This innovative raw material is then reintroduced into the medical value chain by Coveris.
Coveris Halle extrudes film from the virgin Trucircle PE granulate and Coveris Rohrdorf processes the film into sterile pouches. These are supplied to the healthcare brand Artivion, which uses them for sterile packaging of guidewires for vascular surgery, and then returned to the Zuyderland Medical Centre, completing the cycle. The final packaging solution now contains 25 per cent packaging material from uncontaminated medical waste.
Source: Coveris
Coveris at Compamed 2025: Hall 8B, Stand J25
