Sustainable plastics for medical technology (Arbomed)

Approaches to increasing sustainability such as recycling are ruled out in medical technology for hygiene reasons. Therefore, the only way to reduce the footprint is to substitute materials. Arbomed is taking steps towards substitution and tapping into the market for sustainable plastics.

In medical technology, disposable plastic items offer many advantages, including sterility and the avoidance of cross-contamination. At the same time, however, they also cause a massive consumption of resources. In addition, forecasts predict strong market growth, which will lead to even more plastic waste.

Project Arbomed is therefore creating and evaluating the use of sustainable materials for the medical device market. One application example is an in-vitro diagnostics (IVD) cartridge in which a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) is carried out, a process that places particularly high demands on the material.

The project steps at a glance:

• Formulation of the sustainable plastic
• Processing by injection molding
• Production and testing of the cartridges
• Comparison with conventional solutions
• Evaluation of the CO₂ footprint

The results are not only relevant for IVD cartridges, but can also be applied to many other plastic products in medical technology and other industries. The Arbomed project can therefore make an important contribution to conserving resources.