Welcome to the Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council’s (HPRC) inaugural Impact Report. This report highlights our journey towards a circular economy for healthcare plastics, showcasing our achievements, challenges, and the collaborative spirit driving our work. We believe that by working together, we can create a sustainable future for healthcare plastics, ensuring patient safety while minimizing environmental impact.
HPRC was founded 14 years ago with a focus on taking action to address the unique recycling challenges presented by plastics in healthcare. We are thrilled to see the growing interest in healthcare plastics sustainability, reflected in our expanding membership and the increased urgency within the healthcare sector. This report details the significant strides we’ve made, the strong partnerships we’ve forged, and the exciting path ahead.
The plastics industry is at a pivotal moment. Heightened public awareness, consumer pressures, and climate challenges are driving significant investment in sorting and recycling technologies, circularity, and sustainability. Simultaneously, the healthcare industry, responsible for 4.4% of global emissions (with the US contributing 27% of that footprint), is actively pursuing sustainability strategies and goals. This convergence of forces, coupled with HPRC’s foundational work, growing membership, and strategic partnerships, positions us to make an even greater impact in the years to come. We invite you to explore this report and join us in building a more sustainable future for healthcare.
HPRC is a private, technical coalition of industry peers across the healthcare, manufacturing, and recycling sectors. We focus on identifying barriers to healthcare plastics recycling and developing solutions across the entire value chain, from product design and manufacturing to product use, disposal, and recycling. We envision a future where all healthcare plastics are safely and effectively recycled and recognized as a valuable resource supporting a circular economy.
Our Vision:
All healthcare plastics are safely and effectively recycled and widely accepted as a valuable resource that supports a circular economy.
Our Mission:
To collaborate across the value chain to inspire and enable the healthcare community to implement viable, safe, cost-effective, and circularity-advancing recycling solutions for plastics used in the delivery of healthcare.
Our Purpose:
HPRC serves as a platform for value chain stakeholders to enable the implementation of viable, safe, and cost-effective recycling solutions for plastics used in healthcare. We advocate for and help create a more sustainable and circular economy. HPRC currently operates in North America and Europe and will consider expanding to other regions as opportunities arise.
Team Leads: Nick Packet (DuPont) and Lindsay Smaron (Boston Scientific)
The Guiding Principles on Advanced Recycling outline HPRC’s precepts regarding the use of advanced recycling technologies for healthcare plastics. They encompass topics such as efficient technology use, environmental and human health safeguards, claims and chain of custody, the complementary relationship with mechanical recycling, and circular enablement.
Guiding Principles:
“Based on where we are today with our research and testing, we see transformative potential for advanced recycling to offer a viable solution for recycling healthcare plastics that would otherwise be destined for landfills or incineration. Additionally, these advanced recycling technologies present an opportunity to support a circular economy for healthcare plastics, reduce reliance on virgin plastic made from fossil fuels, and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions,” – Peylina Chu, HPRC Executive Director.
Team Leads: Katherine Hofmann (Eastman) and Brian Tran (Dow)
This project aims to initiate a regional healthcare plastics recycling program in Houston, in collaboration with the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, the Vinyl Institute, and Houston Methodist Hospital. The initiative seeks to optimize the recycling program by expanding to multiple hospitals and create a model for other regions.
Challenges and Solutions: One of the biggest challenges in launching a healthcare plastics recycling program is achieving the scale needed to make the process economically viable. Haulers, sorters, and end users all require significant volumes of material to justify the investment in collection, sorting, and processing. However, rolling out a pilot program while simultaneously trying to build a new industry process presents a catch-22. Without sufficient volume, stakeholders may be hesitant to commit, yet scaling up requires initial buy-in and infrastructure. Additionally, securing a stable end-use market for the recycled material remains a critical hurdle. Hospitals, haulers, and sorters all want assurance that there is a consistent buyer for the material before fully engaging in the program. To overcome these barriers, the team is working to aggregate material from multiple waste streams or hospitals, collaborate with key industry players to identify viable end markets, and refine logistics to optimize collection and processing.
Next Steps: The project team is working to establish resources and timelines for the Cypress location, working with waste management and other haulers on collection program design, and continuing to evaluate materials for collection.
“Working on the Houston Project has opened my eyes to the current challenges and opportunities in recycling within healthcare systems. Collaborating with different partners across the plastics value chain has helped push this project forward and allowed me to build new relationships with HPRC team members along the way.” – Leslie Schrof, Circular and Low Carbon Business Manager, LyondellBasell
Team Leads: Sarah Webber (Plastic Ingenuity), Adam Wozniak (Ravago), Paul D’Annunzio (Ascension Health), Elaine Wagener (Casella)
This project aims to optimize healthcare plastics recycling through advanced sorting technologies. It includes a comprehensive survey of sorting companies to understand their technologies, capabilities, and preferred materials, and will culminate in a report featuring a geographical map of PRFs and sorting technologies, as well as a matrix detailing the capabilities of selected technologies.
Challenges and Solutions: One of the key challenges in optimizing healthcare plastics recycling is the limited number of Plastics Recovery Facilities (PRFs) equipped to handle medical plastics, as well as the variability in sorting technologies. Many PRFs are designed for traditional recycling streams and may not be optimized for the diverse material compositions found in healthcare settings. Additionally, recyclers and sorting facilities require consistent, high-volume streams of specific plastic types to make investment in advanced sorting technologies financially viable. Without guaranteed feedstock and end markets, it is difficult to scale solutions. To address these barriers, the project team surveyed and mapped existing PRF capabilities and identifying opportunities for investment in new technologies.
Next Steps: A pilot project is planned for 2025 with hospitals and sortation facilities/technologies.
“This project underscores the essential role of advanced recycling in achieving circularity within the healthcare sector. Due to the complexity of medical waste streams, diverse material compositions, and stringent regulatory requirements, advanced recycling technologies will be crucial in closing the loop where mechanical recycling alone is insufficient.” – Adam Wozniak, Senior Manager of Sustainability, Ravago
Team Leads: Michelle Bezdek (W.L. Gore) and Annie Hukill (Stryker)
This project seeks to harmonize procurement language and standardize group purchasing organization (GPO) questionnaires to clarify supplier requirements for manufacturers. This aims to drive investment in sustainable practices and increase circularity within healthcare plastics.
Challenges and Solutions: The project faced several challenges, primarily due to scope limitations that focused solely on recyclability criteria while excluding chemicals of concern. However, many engaged stakeholders were primarily interested in criteria related to chemicals of concern, creating a misalignment in expectations. Stakeholder engagement also proved challenging, as only three of the seven identified stakeholders participated in interviews. The process highlighted the need to further explore what full alignment would entail and create clear expectations for stakeholders utilizing the criteria.
Based on the first year of work, the project team has developed the following set of criteria for sustainable procurement:
“Sustainable procurement practices are key to driving demand for recycled healthcare plastics.” — Michelle Bezdek, Global Sustainability Lead, W.L. Gore.
“By working with GPOs, we can create a market for these materials and incentivize recycling.” — Annie Hukill, Senior Manager – Corporate Sustainability, Stryker
HPRC is a private, technical consortium of industry peers across the healthcare, recycling, and waste management industries seeking to improve the recyclability of plastic products and packaging within healthcare.
Facilitated by Antea Group
