Healthcare systems rely on high-performance materials to ensure safety, hygiene and reliability. At the same time, there is a growing need to manage resources more efficiently and reduce waste. Vinyl plays an important role in this transition, offering practical pathways towards circularity across both medical devices and pharmaceutical packaging.
Today, well-established collection and recycling schemes already exist for selected PVC medical products in several European countries. These initiatives demonstrate that, when designed correctly, used medical devices can be safely collected, sorted and mechanically recycled into new applications — saving energy, reducing emissions and preserving valuable raw materials.
In parallel, the industry is advancing solutions for more complex waste streams, including pharmaceutical blister packaging. Through collaborative projects, new technologies and system approaches are being developed to address multi-material structures and enable recycling at scale.
Together, these efforts reflect a clear direction: moving vinyl applications in healthcare up the waste hierarchy through innovation, partnership and practical implementation.
Explore the two key areas below:
Medical Device Recycling
– established programmes and practical implementation in hospitals
Pharmaceutical Blister Recycling
– innovation and collaboration to address complex packaging streams