Our research, in collaboration with Systemiq, quantifies the environmental and financial impacts of single-use plastics in healthcare and provides a set of circularity and decarbonisation strategies to accelerate progress.
According to the Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council, healthcare plastics accounted for roughly 5% of global plastic waste in 2020 [1]. This heavy reliance on plastic stems from a combination of factors, including the low cost of virgin materials, clinical sterility requirements, regulatory exemptions, fragmented system responsibility, and rising procedural and demographic demand.
The report reveals that without action, annual healthcare plastic waste volumes and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions could rise by 35-40% by 2040, pushing costs for hospitals and health systems in Europe and North America up to over $76 billion per year.
To address this, we highlight five practical, evidence-based circular economy strategies that hospitals and suppliers can scale today:
- Refuse and reduce unnecessary use (e.g. overuse of gloves)
- Reuse safe, durable alternatives such as gowns, trays, and masks
- Substitute with paper-based or compostable materials where safe
- Improve recycling through better design and segregation
- Procure low-GHG emissions plastics from biobased or Carbon Capture and Storage-derived sources
If these strategies are scaled, we found that health systems could, by 2040, cut single-use plastics waste by 53%, reduce GHG emissions by 55%, and deliver annual savings of $18 billion (a 24% reduction) – compared to a Business-as-Usual scenario.
This report is the first systems-level assessment of single-use plastics in healthcare. It was made possible thanks to a grant from Takeda Pharmaceuticals, with support from a diverse group of experts and stakeholders committed to building a more sustainable and resilient healthcare plastics system. Takeda’s involvement in this research was solely as a financial supporter. Takeda was not involved in the organizing of the research or the creation of this report.
[1] Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council. Inspiring and Enabling Plastic Recycling Solutions in Healthcare. https://www.hprc.org/.
