NewGen Surgical Launches “Small Change, Big Impact” Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program to Eliminate Tons of Plastic from Healthcare Supply Chain
San Rafael, California, June 5, 2018 – NewGen Surgical, Inc. announces the launch of Small Change, Big Impact EPP™; a program to offer healthcare systems and hospitals a measurable way to decrease plastic from the O.R.
“The United Nation Environment Programme’s (UNEP) focus on the importance of sustainable procurement in healthcare makes their World Environment Day, themed #BeatPlasticPollution, the perfect time to communicate our solution – and our customers’ commitment – to decrease plastic waste in healthcare and roll out our Small Change, Big Impact EPP program,” said Rob Chase, Founder and President of NewGen Surgical.
“Our customers want plastic waste reduction solutions with no change in the performance of the products or training required by O.R. staff. The program grew directly from a need expressed by our customers asking for products to help them address their own growing connection of healthy people and planet. They want to reduce operating room waste with measurable and meaningful impacts to make a difference,” said Chase.
Environmentally Responsible Healthcare Solutions Are Needed Now
Practice Greenhealth, a nonprofit organization founded on the principles of positive environmental stewardship in the healthcare community, reports that hospitals in the U.S. generate 12,790 tons of waste every day; 30% from the O.R. And the Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council states that 20-25% of hospital waste is plastic. That equates to one million tons of plastic waste per year from the healthcare industry.
“Our mission is simple – to reduce plastic waste in the operating room by redesigning single-use disposable products,” continued Chase. “Either we change our behavior and establish a more sustainable supply chain or we change our planet forever.“
“The healthcare supply chain has many plastics, designed for single-use and disposal.” Explains Dr. Ann Blake, NewGen Surgical’s Environmental & Public Health Advisor. “The use of plastics in healthcare supports fossil fuel dependence, contributing to climate change. To promote public health and curb pollution, the healthcare industry can improve the supply chain, with better material inputs and healthier disposal options.”
Erika Kimball, RN and sustainable healthcare advocate further emphasized, “The healthcare industry is a major consumer of plastics and one of the highest generators of waste. Radical resource conservation and a sharp divergence from fossil fuels are needed to protect our patients and communities from climate change.”
Smart Sustainable Purchasing – Why Buy Plastic If You Don’t Have To?
Smart sustainable purchasing can deliver the human health benefits of an EPP policy because it is one of the best approaches in aligning the hospital supply chain with sustainability and community needs initiatives. The Small Change, Big Impact EPP program will measure annual volume and waste metrics that can be used by healthcare customers to support their sustainably-driven goals and report on measurable, informative content about their achievements for healthier operations.
Dignity Health is one of the first healthcare systems to sign on at the Pioneer level reserved for a select few that step up as early adopters of sustainable products in the O.R. “The Small Change, Big Impact EPP program is designed to help hospitals achieve their EPP objectives and prevent tons of plastic waste from entering the waste stream,” said Chase. “We are grateful to customers, like Dignity Health that are demonstrating their climate-smart commitment to reducing plastic waste for greener operations.”
Sister Mary Ellen Leciejewski, OP, Vice President of Corporate Responsibility at Dignity Health shared, “I believe that how we treat one another spills over into how we treat Earth and all its systems: air, water, soil, animals. It’s all connected. We are excited about this opportunity to eliminate plastic waste from our supply chain.”
About NewGen Surgical, Inc.
NewGen Surgical, Inc. develops and manufactures sustainably designed, single-use medical devices and products. With a mission to reduce plastic waste in healthcare, NewGen Surgical offers hospitals and surgery centers a solution to their sustainability programs and meet Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) objectives. Founded in 2012 in the San Francisco Bay Area, NewGen Surgical is a member of Practice Greenhealth’s Greening the OR® Initiative and Think Beyond Plastic Accelerator, was commended in the 2015 Circular Economy Awards of the Young Global Leaders at the World Economic Forum, and a finalist at the 2018 edie Sustainability Leaders Awards and the 2017 Sustainable Brands Innovation Open.
For more information, visit newgensurgical.com.
Visit www.newgensurgical.com/impact for more information about the Small Change, Big Impact EPP program.
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