Climate action is gaining steam globally, regionally and in our communities. Many medical device and pharmaceutical companies are scrambling to keep up with new and anticipated government regulations and increasing market demand for corporations to adopt effective sustainability practices and policies. 

Heightened awareness from hospital leadership, group purchasing organizations, investors, consumers and other stakeholders has created a demand for medical suppliers to provide sustainable solutions. This is driving OEMs to set ambitious sustainability targets, so they can meet the demands of their customers and gain competitive advantages in the market.

Companies in the medical industry may find it difficult to know where to begin and how to operationalize an effective decarbonization strategy. Plus, medical device and pharmaceutical companies may be challenged to find sustainable solutions that are not cost-prohibitive, from both a pricing and qualification standpoint, and do not impact patient safety and product performance. 

Reducing carbon footprint without sacrificing patient safety 

The vast majority of a typical OEM's carbon footprint comes directly from insourced materials, products and services, and this is particularly challenging because of the degree of separation between an OEM and the points of origin of these insourced products. Thus, the best place to start reducing your carbon footprint is to take a hard look at your supply chain, and partner with suppliers like Envalior. At Envalior:

• We are the only supplier of advanced material solutions that can offer low carbon sustainable solutions, specifically for the medical device and pharmaceutical industry.
• Our sustainable materials are designed in a way that there are no compromises on patient safety and product performance.
• We can help you reduce time spent on regulatory filings and qualifications.

KPMG's recent report The Decarbonization Journey-Five Pillars to Achieving Net Zero identifies "Accelerating Climate-focused Partnerships" as one of the five pillars to building an effective sustainability strategy. By looking outward towards partners like Envalior, you can accelerate broader progress toward larger societal goals, including reducing your carbon footprint.

By switching one of the materials currently used in one of your product lines to a Envalior sustainable medical grade material, you can reduce the carbon footprint of that product line up to 70% without sacrificing patient safety or performance. This is low hanging fruit that allows you to focus on your internal emissions without worrying about those of your suppliers.

Also, utilizing Envalior sustainable materials allows you to quickly reduce your carbon footprint, providing you with regulatory agility needed to quickly adapt to the evolving government regulations we face. Since our sustainable materials come with Life Cycle Analyses, carbon footprint declarations, and other relevant documentation, you will no longer need to worry about the risk of ever-changing regulations. Instead, you can focus resources on innovation and gaining approvals for new devices.

Envalior has decades of experience in the medical device and pharmaceutical industry—every single second a patient receives a medical device that contains a Envalior technology. In early 2021, Envalior took these additional steps to further our position in the medical segment:  

1.  The launch of our CARE portfolio of medical grade materials complete with ISO10993 (-5 and -10) certifications and the capability to generate Material Master Files for the FDA or other notified bodies.
2. A coordinated medical strategy complete with a dedicated team of subject matter experts and a logistical strategy to support the specific needs of medical device and pharmaceutical companies.

Regulators in numerous regions, including the United States and the European Union, are implementing stringent measures to mitigate patient safety risks caused by defective medical equipment. In this environment, manufacturers require advanced thermoplastics that leverage next-generation material science and address emerging medical industry trends.

In Envalior’s CARE portfolio, each material is tested to meet or exceed key specifications as well as standards set by regulatory bodies, including the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, International Organization for Standardization (ISO), United States Pharmacopeia (USP), and more. We continue to aggressively add to the CARE portfolio by completing ISO 10993-5 and ISO-10993-10 testing requirements on other many more grades.

Let us help you reduce your carbon footprint while not sacrificing patient safety. Contact us and Envalior’s sustainability team to learn more about Envalior’s CARE portfolio and services.