The green imperative for medical device businesses

Supply chains represent a major part of this impact. In the UK, for example, 62% of the National Health Service’s emissions footprint in 2019 came from its supply chain.² This means the purchasing power of healthcare systems can be used to reduce overall impact. Suppliers to hospitals and other healthcare organizations can expect closer attention in this area, as green criteria are becoming more common in tenders. Leaders can no longer ignore this topic, as not addressing their environmental record could have business consequences.

Sustainability challenges for medical devices

The main challenge for medical device businesses is that they must prevent infections from spreading through used products. Care needs to be taken so that recycling or preparing items for reuse doesn’t create new problems or inefficiencies. For example, sterilizing devices takes a lot of energy, and sterilizing chemicals like ethylene oxide can also be harmful. One effective strategy to reduce a product’s environmental impact is to look at its full lifecycle and find opportunities for change. Can the product use fewer components? How does it move through the supply chain? Can the manufacturing process be cleaner? Some changes from this review can also help lower business costs, such as improving energy efficiency across company locations.

Staying on track for sustainability

Once a business commits to making improvements in this area, it should set clear goals and review them regularly to stay on course. The medical device industry is highly regulated, and companies in this sector are used to following strict requirements and being audited.

At Owen Mumford, we chose to take a similar approach to our sustainability goals by undergoing a B Corp assessment. This review asks more than 250 questions across five impact areas. The ‘B Impact Assessment’ looks at more than environmental performance. It also considers company governance, community involvement, worker support, and customer responsibility. This built on our earlier efforts. To make sure we were taking this seriously, Owen Mumford had already formed an Environmental Steering Group in 2014 to guide and track our sustainability efforts.

Achieving B Corp certification

Even though we had already been working actively in this area, the B Corp review required further changes to improve our performance. Now, our social and environmental commitments are officially written into our articles of association in a section stating the company’s purpose. This means we are accountable to all stakeholders, making sure we stay true to our promise to create a real positive impact on society and the environment through our business and operations. This includes our suppliers, since they affect our overall footprint, so we analyzed our suppliers, services, and materials to identify and address sources of greenhouse gas emissions. We also have an environmental purchasing policy, now applied throughout our supply chain network.
In terms of actions at our locations, first, we launched energy-saving initiatives across all our global sites in the UK, USA, and Malaysia, cutting our Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions³ by over a quarter (27.3%). Most of our UK operations now run on renewable energy, including electricity generated on-site with solar panels. Second, we conducted an external air quality audit. Carbon dioxide levels are a sign of ventilation and indoor air quality. Poorly ventilated sites can see CO2 from people’s breath build up, which can make rooms feel stuffy. This can lead to tiredness, trouble focusing, and headaches for workers. The audit also checked temperature, humidity, and carbon monoxide to ensure they are in a comfortable range.

An ongoing commitment

Owen Mumford is one of the first medical device companies to become B Corp certified, joining more than 400 UK businesses and over 4,000 companies worldwide. The certification prompts a thorough review of operations, which can be especially helpful for businesses not sure where to begin with their Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategy. Making the necessary changes can take time, but achieving ESG goals should be seen as an ongoing process. B Corp provides a framework for working toward best practices in each area and for raising standards over time. This certification encourages us to clearly define our goals, track real progress, and focus on what will truly make a difference. Everyone at the company is engaged in this process, which will help drive future efforts. With the urgency of the climate crisis, ongoing commitment from every business – large or small – is crucial.