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Coveris and SABIC Develop Circular Recycling for Medical Packaging
10 Oct
Summary
- Coveris, SABIC, Zuyderland Medical Centre, and Artivion collaborate on recycling medical waste
- Non-contaminated hospital plastic waste converted into high-quality circular materials
- Resulting packaging contains 25% material sourced from hospital waste
As of October 10th, 2025, Coveris, in collaboration with SABIC, Zuyderland Medical Centre, and Artivion, has developed a groundbreaking process to convert medical waste into new packaging materials. The initiative, which launched earlier this year, focuses on recycling used medical plastic packaging into contact-sensitive packaging, creating a closed-loop model within the healthcare sector.
This pioneering project, which is the first of its kind, is part of SABIC's TRUCIRCLE initiative. Coveris Group's medical segment director, Jan-Willem Bruijsten, expressed the company's pride in being part of this innovative endeavor, stating that it "proves that circularity in healthcare packaging is possible" and aligns with Coveris' "No Waste vision."
At the Zuyderland Medical Centre in the Netherlands, non-contaminated polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) waste is now being collected separately in pink bags instead of being incinerated. SABIC then converts this waste into pyrolysis oil and produces certified circular polyethylene (TRUCIRCLE PE), which Coveris uses to manufacture medical-grade film at its Halle facility. The film is later processed into sterile pouches at Coveris' Rohrdorf site and supplied to Artivion for packing vascular surgery guidewires, completing the circular process.
