ST. PAUL, Minn. — Eight companies across healthcare, recycling and waste management industries have come together to form a technical coalition seeking to inspire and enable sustainable, cost-effective recycling solutions for plastic products and materials used in the delivery of healthcare. The Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council (HPRC) is made up of members from Becton, Dickinson and Company, Cardinal Health, Engineered Plastics, DuPont, Hospira, Johnson & Johnson, Kimberly Clark and Waste Management.
Understanding that the potential for plastics recycling is significant to both reducing environmental and human health impacts, HPRC exists in a collaborative effort to be a change agent for sustainable healthcare product and packaging lifecycle with the end goal of increasing the overall recycling of healthcare plastics. HPRC is unique in its focus on identification of plastics recycling barriers and solution development along the entire value chain, seeking to affect plastics recycling from healthcare product design and manufacturing through product use, disposal and recycle.
HPRC is currently engaged in three initiatives aimed at enabling recycling of select plastics. The first initiative, healthcare plastics value chain mapping, is focused on defining the healthcare value chain and identifying issues and barriers along the value chain that disable plastics recycling. The second initiative, design for recycling guidelines, is focused on developing a document that articulates product and packaging design considerations that could enhance recycling potential and value. The third initiative, pilot study programs within healthcare facilities, is focused on building a data model to facilitate economic analysis of plastics recycling.
About HPRC
HPRC is a private technical coalition of industry peers across healthcare, recycling and waste management industries seeking to improve recyclability of plastic products within healthcare. HPRC is made up of eight brand leading and globally recognized members including BD, Cardinal Health, DuPont, Engineered Plastics, Hospira, Johnson & Johnson, Kimberly Clark and Waste Management. The council convenes biannually at meetings hosted by an HPRC member that include facility tours to further learning and knowledge sharing opportunities through first-hand demonstration of best practices in sustainable product and packaging design and recycling processes. For more information, visit www.hprc.org.
