Recyclable PVC to remain polymer of choice for medical devices
PVC is the most used polymer for single use medical devices and will retain its position in the years to come, according to a new market study conducted by Global Market Insights Inc.
The high volume and PVC’s recyclability indicate that hospitals should start with PVC in recycling schemes for plastics-based medical devices.
Almost 30 per cent of plastics-based medical devices are manufactured using PVC, which makes the material the most used polymer for bags, tubing, masks and other disposable medical devices. The remaining share is divided between ten different polymers. The study also forecasts that PVC will retain its number one position until at least 2027.
PVCMed Alliance Project Manager Ole Grøndahl Hansen said: “COVID-19 has highlighted the crucial role played by single-use plastic medical devices in the prevention and control of infection in hospitals. The negative side-effect of this success has been growing amounts of hospital plastic waste. We believe recycling is part of the solution. Fortunately, the most used plastic in healthcare is also the most recyclable plastic, and we therefore urge hospitals to start their recycling activities with PVC.
“For almost all applications, alternative plasticisers for PVC are available and are being used. Four of these are now included in the European Pharmacopeia, which sets the safety and quality guidelines for medical products in Europe and beyond.”
The European PVC industry, through VinylPlus, has invested in recycling PVC medical devices since 2014 when the RecoMed scheme was established in the UK. The scheme was inspired by the successful PVC in hospitals recycling project in Australia and New Zealand, which involves over 250 hospitals.
In February 2021 VinylPlus launched a collaborative project called VinylPlus Med. Aimed at accelerating sustainability in healthcare across Europe through the recycling of discarded single-use PVC medical devices, the project brings together hospitals, waste managers, recyclers and the PVC industry in some European countries.
The scheme will focus on the production of PVC recyclates free of substances of concern that can be included in a wide range of products marketed across Europe.