B. Braun is working to eliminate a whole stream of single-use waste, such as syringes and wrap used to pack instruments.
Single-use wrap (often called ‘blue wrap’) has been used for years in the medical industry to pack the instruments while they are sterilized and then stored. It is effective but of course a lot of downstream waste is generated.
B. Braun is now using reusable containers (typically called rigid sterile containers or RSCs) for this same packing and storage function. There is a dramatic difference in the quantity of downstream waste which is generated.
An example is the Aesculap Sterile Container System, consisting of various sizes of lids and containers. It also includes accessories such as perforated trays, filters, indicator cards, and tamper-evident locks. The sterile containers minimize the risk of microorganism penetration, so that the surgical instruments are sterile for the operating room.
In two separate studies it’s been shown that following the initial investment in new equipment for the rigid sterile container process, hospitals save money in their ongoing processing of sterile equipment for the operating room.
In a US-based study by Practice Greenhealth, it has been estimated that a conversion to rigid sterile containers can save a medium size hospital up to $20K annually in disposable operating expenses and more than 150 hours in processing time. Hospitals produce more than 5 million tons of waste each year.
A German-based study in the Health Economics Review, found that use of a sterilization container without an inner wrap has a per-use cost of €2.05 compared to €3.87 for two layers of single-use sterilization wrap.
In addition, for B. Braun the life cycle of a product extends to the individual materials the company gets from external suppliers. For example, B. Braun uses 100% recycled paper obtained from an outside source in some of its product packaging and the circulation of pallets in the B. Braun network is a standard process.
Author: Julia Swales
Source: Foundation for Future Supply Chain
