But some link sustainability to resilience By: Rick Dana Barlow Oct 27th, 2020 Historically, it should be no secret that sustainability as an aim, issue and management priority has struggled to gain a solid foothold among the key tentpoles of business operations. This year, against the backdrop of a global pandemic that has shaken the…

It’s time for our first check-up on hospitals and sustainability. With coronavirus upending our way of life and infecting so many people, it’s critical that our hospitals continue to operate. Sustainability ensures hospitals can continue operations in times of stress, and it also helps hospitals save money, reduce their impact on the environment, and make…

By: Norbert Sparrow – February 20, 2020 U.S healthcare facilities generate approximately 14,000 tons of waste per day, and it’s estimated that as much as one-quarter of that waste is composed of plastic packaging and products. And here’s the kicker: 85% of that hospital waste has not come in contact with a patient and is,…

By: Norbert Sparrow  – January 22, 2020 Single-use plastics may be beating a retreat at your local coffeehouse, supermarket and now, it seems, the entire country of China, but there is no shortage of demand in the medical device space. Au contraire: The medical plastics market is forecast to see sustained growth well into this…

by Rob Chase, Founder & President As 2020 begins, it is a great time to share company developments, reflect, and take a moment to express gratitude. It is an honor to serve the communities that heal and nurture health of people, planet and all living things. Whether you are a customer that has been with…

The medical device industry can be part of the solution for sustainable healthcare, according to a speaker at the upcoming MD&M West 2020 conference. By: Susan Shepard December 31, 2019 Healthcare organizations are responding regarding their contribution on climate change, said Rob Chase in an interview with MD+DI. Chase, who is the founder and president…

Swirling, succeeding in ‘circular economy’ knows no bounds By: Rick Dana Barlow  – November 18, 2019 To some, environmental sustainability represents one of those “damned-if-you-do-and-damned-if-you-don’t” idiomatic exercises in that whatever you decide likely will attract criticism, debate and some form of ridicule. Either it is is too burdensome and costly, it panders to the hippie…

Experts advise starting small, thinking big By: Rick Dana Barlow  – November 18, 2019 Establishing an environmental sustainability movement, process or project can be an arduous exercise, competing heavily between higher-priority issues and among numerous multitasking executives, clinicians and practitioners. But it doesn’t have to be such a daunting task so long as aims and…

By: Norbert Sparrow –  October 8, 2019 The juggernaut to remove single-use plastics from our lives largely has spared the medical sector. There are good reasons for that, starting with improved safety for the patient because single-use devices reduce the risk of infection. Also, injection molded and extruded plastic devices allow for design innovation and…

Sugarcane plants and operating rooms have nothing in common, and yet when Rob Chase, president and founder of NewGen Surgical in San Rafael, struck on an idea to bring them together, it was a logical pairing that had the potential to deliver benefits for generations to come. His concept was to create surgical equipment out…