The A Prescription for Change report estimated that the sector’s dependence on disposable items such as gloves, fluid bags and packaging created around five million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions and cost health providers €23 billion.
Without action, the report warned that annual costs could rise to over €34 billion by 2040, while plastic waste volumes and associated emissions continue to climb.
Cutting single-use plastics by half
The report identified seven high-volume plastic categories as the main culprits: fluid bags and tubing, gloves, rigid devices, device packaging, personal protective equipment (PPE), wipes and pharmaceutical packaging.
A combination of economic, regulatory and demographic factors were pinpointed as driving up healthcare’s reliance on single-use plastics.
Notably, virgin plastic remains cheaper than recycled or alternative materials, making it the default choice in cost-sensitive health systems.
Strict safety standards and regulatory exemptions have also reinforced disposables as standard practice.
To tackle this impact, Eunomia and Systemiq recommended:
- Reduce unnecessary use (e.g. overuse of gloves)
- Reuse safe, durable alternatives such as gowns, trays and masks
- Where safe to do so, substitute with paper-based or compostable materials
- Improve recycling through better design and segregation
- Procure low-GHG emissions plastics from biobased or Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)-derived sources
According to the report, applying these levers at scale could cut single-use plastic use in healthcare by over 50%.
Will Clark, International Supply Chain Transformation Director at Health Care Without Harm, commented: “Protecting patient health is non-negotiable – but many plastics pose their own risks.
“This report shows we can safely reduce or replace plastics, cut costs and environmental harm and still deliver high-quality care.”
Schemes to reduce plastics already underway
In England, NHS trusts have switched from disposable to reusable surgical trays, eliminating thousands of single-use plastic items each year.
The government has also introduced legislation to restrict the sale and supply of plastic-containing wet wipes, although the ban will not include the manufacture of these products.
Pallavi Madakasira, Managing Consultant at Eunomia, said: “This report presents the strongest evidence yet to galvanize the global healthcare community into urgent action on plastic waste.
“It offers a common set of priority interventions and a data-driven roadmap to accelerate progress. Most importantly, it shows that safe, proven and cost-saving solutions are already within reach.”
Mahmood Bhutta, Chair of ENT Surgery at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Director of the Green Healthcare Hub and a surgeon in the NHS, added: “The volume of disposable materials used in healthcare, including plastic, is staggering.
“Across Europe, hospitals are already showing that reusables and smarter product design can cut costs, carbon emissions and plastics use – without compromising patient safety.”
Healthcare needs ‘wiser management of plastic’
The report noted that while regulators have tightened packaging and waste laws across Europe, medical plastics frequently remain outside their scope due to patient safety concerns.
But with public health budgets under strain and climate targets looming, pressure is mounting on governments and providers to act.
Health Care Without Harm, a global NGO, coordinated an open letter endorsed by more than 48 million healthcare professionals in 2024, urging a phase-out of harmful plastics in healthcare.
In October 2024, Secretary for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting announced a new strategy to cut down on the number of single-use medical devices used by the NHS by reducing its reliance on foreign imports and encouraging local innovation and reuse.
Eunomia and Systemiq argued that combining procurement reform, regulatory updates and investment in reuse and recycling infrastructure can turn fragmented pilots into a coordinated strategy.
Yoni Shiran, Partner and Plastics Lead at Systemiq, said: “By redesigning products and procurement around circular economy principles, we can protect patients, protect budgets, and build resilience against future shocks.
“At a time where public budgets are under huge pressure, a wiser management of plastic in healthcare presents an opportunity to use public spending more efficiently.”
Subscribe for free