Nick Guerin, CSP, director of environmental, health & safety at Tessy Plastics highlights how contract manufacturers are driving sustainability in the medical plastics industry.
Tessy Plastics
Manufacturing medical plastic products with stringent specifications is a challenge Tessy Plastics Corp. (Tessy) has taken head on for over 50 years, and the company commits to reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 42% by 2030 from a 2022 base year. Tessy also commits to reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased goods and services, upstream and downstream transportation and distribution, and end of life treatment of sold products 25% within the same timeframe.
Achieving these targets will require strategic partnerships with both customers and suppliers.
Sustainable raw material and product design
Tessy proactively collaborates with partners and vendors to source material as sustainably as possible. While medical products and finished devices have limited flexibility with resin, there is always opportunity to enhance the packaging solution. Researching and testing bio-degradable or recycled packaging is one way to move toward a more sustainable medical product. Another way to tackle this is by limiting the amount of packaging/material that is needed to ship the product and preserve the shelf life.
In addition to material selection for packaging, partnering with a vertically integrated company will provide design, research & development, and continuous improvement services all under one roof. If a customer asks how they can make their product more sustainable without changing any material, there are often various solutions to explore in regards to product design.
Redesigning the product in such a way that reduces the amount of plastic required to produce it is a common option that is presented. This approach is known as “light weighting” in the world of plastic injection moulding. Another alteration that can be proposed is taking a multi-component medical product and redesigning it to reduce the number of components necessary for production. Maintaining product quality and performance as these changes are considered is top priority.
Enhanced production efficiency – automation and assembly
Tessy is ISO 13485:2016 certified, FDA registered, and offers ISO Class 5, 7, and 8 cleanroom moulding and assembly. These certifications and cleanrooms enable the production process for finished medical devices to be as seamless and sustainable as possible. Cleanrooms contribute to sustainable manufacturing by reducing waste and minimising the risk of defects and contamination. Due to the fact that cleanroom environments are humidity and temperature controlled, there are also gains in energy efficiency. Quality is the highest priority in medical manufacturing, but continuously finding ways to improve sustainability and efficiency is what sets Tessy apart in climate action.
Alongside material modifications, designing the moulding and automation lines with the objective of minimal energy use is another avenue that yields decreased carbon footprint. Contract manufacturing companies provide the technical bandwidth such as research & development and engineering teams to support these particular efforts. With injection moulding, there are several ways to design moulds to use less energy and reduce scrap. One method is to use a hot runner system instead of a cold runner system, which minimises material waste during the moulding process. Additionally, enhancing efficiency and energy consumption can be achieved by increasing cavitation within a single mould, rather than using multiple machines to produce the same volume for a single component.
Moulding and assembling medical products with multiple components all in one automation line is the most efficient. When various components have to be moulded separately, warehoused, and re-introduced to the production floor for assembly, there is a significant amount of time and energy wasted. The more machines and manufacturing processes required also means more operator intervention is needed. The solution that vertically integrated contract manufacturers provide is a seamless process from design and development of the product to design and development of the moulding and automation equipment resulting in the most efficient and sustainable workflow.
Streamlined transportation and distribution
With production lines being designed for the leanest operation all in one facility, contract manufactures are able to take it a step further by reducing the number of warehouses and final pack out touch points. By moulding, assembling and packaging in one location, there is significantly less carbon footprint. Reducing the number of trips that trucks need to make moving product between facilities is not only minimising carbon footprint, but also provides speed to market. Contract manufactures are able to save time, energy, and money by producing and packaging finished medical devices in one place and distributing directly to physician’s offices for patient use.
A vertically integrated contract manufacturer like Tessy is a strong ally for customers pursuing ambitious sustainability objectives. The company can streamline the supply chain, reducing waste and energy consumption at every stage of production. Additionally, by overseeing all aspects of manufacturing, we can implement sustainable practices more effectively, ensuring that materials are sourced responsibly and processes are optimised for minimal environmental impact.