Coveris, SABIC pioneer circular recycling model for medical packaging

SAUDI ARABIA – Coveris, in partnership with SABIC, Zuyderland Medical Centre, and Artivion, has developed an innovative process to transform non-contaminated hospital plastic waste into new medical-grade packaging materials.

The project, launched in 2024 under SABIC’s TRUCIRCLE™ initiative, marks the first closed-loop recycling system for healthcare packaging.

It demonstrates that clean, non-contaminated medical waste can be safely and efficiently recycled into high-quality, contact-sensitive packaging, an achievement long considered a challenge due to stringent sterility and safety requirements in the medical sector.

At the Zuyderland Medical Centre in the Netherlands, used polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) packaging from hospitals is now being collected separately in pink bags, instead of being incinerated.

SABIC converts this waste into pyrolysis oil, which is then refined into certified circular polyethylene (TRUCIRCLE PE).

The material is supplied to Coveris, which uses it to produce medical-grade film at its Halle facility in Germany.

This film is later processed into sterile pouches at the company’s Rohrdorf site. The pouches are delivered to Artivion for packing vascular surgery guidewires, which are subsequently returned to Zuyderland Medical Centre, completing the circular chain from waste to new sterile packaging.

The resulting medical packaging contains 25% material sourced directly from hospital waste, proving the viability of a sustainable loop within the healthcare supply chain.

“At Coveris, we see collaboration as key to a circular future, and we are extremely proud to be part of this pioneering initiative,” said Jan-Willem Bruijsten, Coveris Group’s medical segment director.

“It proves that circularity in healthcare packaging is possible and aligns perfectly with our No Waste vision.”

Khaled Al-Jalawi, SABIC’s global circular economy director, echoed the sentiment, stating, “This circular business model showcases the potential of plastic innovations when leading actors across the medical ecosystem collaborate.

“Non-contaminated medical plastic waste represents a valuable feedstock opportunity, and SABIC TRUCIRCLE solutions could play a major role in advancing circularity in healthcare.”

The initiative represents a significant milestone for the medical industry’s sustainability transition, setting a precedent for hospitals and packaging manufacturers worldwide to rethink how healthcare waste can be repurposed into safe, circular materials.

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