The medical industry is one of the largest industries in the world, and at the same time it has a large consumption of plastic. This is mainly due to the fact that many medico components such as syringes and valves can only be produced in plastic materials that comply with strict production requirements. This involves large amounts of plastic that are often not recycled. In order for the industry to contribute to the green transition, companies must take responsibility for their own activities and work together with other stakeholders to develop innovative solutions for reducing plastic pollution from medical production. Carmo.dk , which specializes in injection molding of medical components and technical components, is an example of a Danish company that takes environmental responsibility and contributes to the green transition, which can inspire others.
Utilize surplus material
Injection molding of plastic is the most widespread method for the mass production of plastic products. In injection molding, molten plastic is injected into a mold, where the plastic solidifies and becomes the technical components you want to make. Plastic injection molding is an advanced technology that can produce even very small elements. But in the plastics industry there will always be waste or surplus material, and this can be advantageously sent for recycling, so companies think about designing their production circularly, where all waste is seen as a resource rather than waste.
New material types for medico components
Technical components for the medico industry are often made of PVC, but many companies are researching to find more environmentally friendly alternatives to plastics made from fossil materials such as oil. Unfortunately, you cannot use recycled plastic for medico components, as they are not clean enough for use in the medico industry. That is why, for example, research is being done into using bio-based materials. Bio-based materials are materials based on plant material. They are already used for everyday things, but when it comes to the medical industry, they must of course comply with the requirements for cleanliness.
Reduce emissions from the entire production chain
Another option to make the plastics industry more environmentally friendly is to reduce how much energy it takes to produce each individual medical component. Injection molding of plastic is an energy-intensive process, but if the process can be done on renewable energy sources, such as sun and wind, rather than gas or oil, it is better for the green transition. However, you also have to focus on all stages of the process, so you have to look at both the transport of raw material, finished products and the disposal after use in order to be able to say something about the climate impact of the components. You can also look at whether you can come up with better packaging solutions that reduce the use of new plastic during transport.