Reducing plastic in Australia’s healthcare sector one wet wipe at a time
Corey White1, , 1The Hygiene Co., Woodville North, SA, Australia
Background
Can the healthcare sector exist without single-use plastic?
Even publications like National Geographic and the British Medical Journal are asking this, with the latter cautioning against a reliance on single-use plastic becoming a ‘new normal’. With a broadly increasing focus on sustainability across industry, government and academia, the healthcare sector is in a prime position to reduce the significant volumes of plastic waste used each year in hospitals, GP clinics, dental and more.
We all know that the more plastic we make, the more fossil fuels we need, and the more we exacerbate climate change. To help address the problem we can curb the use of plastic, especially avoidable single-use plastics.
Method or Actions
Plastic wipes seem to be the forgotten single-use plastic in healthcare. Data compiled from 3 State Health Departments tells us we should be paying attention:
-5 million kgs of plastic waste from wipes used each year in Australian Healthcare
-Over 3 billion plastic wipes annually.
The impact of carbon is an ongoing challenge and it is estimated 12,000 tonne of carbon is generated from the shipping process only.
Results
We have created a plastic-free, locally made wet wipe that is ready now for the Australian healthcare sector to both reduce its use of plastic AND reduce its carbon footprint.
Conclusion
To support net-zero and other sustainability commitments, a systemic approach is required to design out plastic and greenhouse gas emissions within Australia’s healthcare sector.
Biography
Corey White has owned and grown successful businesses in marketing, research consulting, and medical supplies. After seeing the positive response from consumers, industry and government, co-founding Australia’s first plastic free, wet wipe manufacturing facility was an easy ‘yes’. And the CleanLIFE Medical range was created in 2022.