The health sector is actively looking to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, and this study shows how recycling can help healthcare facilities cutting their CO2 emissions.
Ecovamed, a company specialised in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and carbon footprint evaluation of health products, performed the LCA of PVC-based medical tubing in Europe by calculating its cradle-to-grave carbon footprint, based on GHG Protocol standard, for two end-of-life scenarios: Incineration with energy recovery and acid flue gas treatment, and recycling of medical tubing by mechanical grinding in Belgium, with an 80% yield, and production of wall coverings with the recycled material.
On a cradle-to-grave basis, recycling allows to reduce by 25% the greenhouse gas emissions of a PVC medical tubing on its full life cycle, as compared to the scenario with incineration, corresponding to 2.0 kgCO2eq avoided per kg of tubing.