Clean Production Action (CPA) Announces First-Ever GreenScreen Certified™ Standard for Medical Supplies & Devices
NewGen Surgical 5500cc Ring Basin is the First Product to Be Recognized by New GreenScreen Standard for Healthcare Sector
San Rafael, California, October 25, 2022 – On October 19, 2022, the nonprofit organization Clean Production Action (CPA) announced the first GreenScreen Certified™ Standard for Medical Supplies & Devices with NewGen Surgical at the forefront of the pilot program. The company was awarded a Bronze+ certification on their 100% biobased Surgical Ring Basin, an OR essential used in the millions. NewGen Surgical is the first company in the healthcare sector to receive certification through the new GreenScreen standard. As a leader in sustainably designed medical devices, surgical packaging, and products for healthcare, NewGen Surgical manufactures biobased products that not only reduce plastic and carbon emissions but also eliminate chemicals of concern; one of the core objectives defined by the “GreenScreen® for Safer Chemicals Program.”
GreenScreen is a globally recognized tool designed to assess and benchmark chemicals based on hazard. As stated on Clean Production Action’s website, “Companies and governments use GreenScreen benchmark scores to identify chemicals of concern to human health and the environment, select safer alternatives, and track and communicate their progress. GreenScreen criteria and guidance are fully transparent and available for anyone to use.”
The latest extension of the program, GreenScreen Certified™ Standard for Medical Supplies & Devices, outlines the extensive requirements equipment manufacturers must meet to ensure their products do not contain any chemicals of concern. Developed by healthcare providers, medical product manufacturers, scientists, and environmental groups, the new standard details a comprehensive list of analytical testing requirements that manufacturers must acquire to receive certification. In addition, medical products certified to the GreenScreen Certified™️ Standard fulfill the environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) requirements of leading healthcare organizations such as Kaiser Permanente and Vizient.
Shari Franjevic, GreenScreen Program Manager, stated, “With awareness of chemicals of high concern in common medical supplies and devices rising, we want to make it easy for purchasers to readily identify medical products with preferred chemistry and for suppliers to communicate this information to their customers. GreenScreen Certified simplifies the communication of preferred chemistry across medical product supply chains.”
Manufacturers attaining the GreenScreen Certification demonstrate their products meet the rigorous EPP requirements of an independent, nonprofit organization that reaches beyond regulatory requirements. NewGen Surgical products are designed to eliminate plastic, chemicals of concern, and CO2e while maintaining the same clinical performance as their traditional, plastic counterparts. All NewGen Surgical products are manufactured using renewable, bio-based material free of intentionally added BPA or BPA-derived plastics, mercury, phthalates, PVC, and PFAS. A study conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control documents chemicals of concern negatively impacting developmental, metabolic, reproductive, and other bodily systems throughout humans and animals. Many chemicals of concern are environmentally persistent and bioaccumulative and have been identified as endocrine disruptors. [1]
With the GreenScreen Certification for Medical Supplies & Devices, hospitals and healthcare systems can ensure they are purchasing products that are rigorously tested at the highest standard and safe throughout the entire product lifecycle.
“We are honored to be a part of the GreenScreen pilot program and thankful to work closely with Clean Production Action in the launch of this important industry certification, ensuring healthcare products contain safer and healthier chemical ingredients. As the first healthcare products company to earn GreenScreen certification for our 100% biobased Surgical Ring Basin, a workhorse product for the Operating Room (OR), we are on a mission to lead the healthcare sector in the transition to OR products that eliminate plastic and are free of chemicals of concern. The GreenScreen certification process provides product transparency for consumers and a roadmap for manufacturers. We will be pursuing GreenScreen certification for all NewGen Surgical products, and this initial certification is a great start,” said NewGen Surgical Co-Founder Robert Chase.
To learn more about GreenScreen Certified and register for the upcoming webinar visit: www.greenscreenchemicals.org/certified/medical.
About NewGen Surgical Inc.
Founded in 2012 in the San Francisco Bay Area, NewGen Surgical, Inc. develops and manufactures sustainably designed, plant-based, single-use medical devices, patient care products, and healthcare packaging. The company’s mission is to offer clinically effective product solutions to measurably reduce plastic, chemicals of concern, and Scope 3 CO2 emissions. NewGen Surgical products are California Prop 65 compliant; free of intentionally added BPA or BPA-derived plastics, mercury, phthalates, PFAs, and PVC. Currently, the company offers 6 product lines, available direct or through major national distributors and internationally with approved CE marks.
NewGen Surgical was commended in the 2015 Circular Economy Awards of the Young Global Leaders of the World Economic Forum and recipient of the California Product Stewardship Council 2018 Green Arrow Award for circular economy innovation. NewGen Surgical is a member of the American Sustainable Business Council and a recipient of the California Product Stewardship Council 2018 Green Arrow Award for circular economy innovation.
About Clean Production Action and GreenScreen® for Safer Chemicals
Clean Production Action is a mission-driven nonprofit organization that designs and delivers strategic solutions for green chemicals, sustainable materials, and environmentally preferable products. Clean Production Action’s four programs are BizNGO, GreenScreen for Safer Chemicals, Chemical Footprint Project, and the Investor Environmental Health Network
