Healthcare packaging plays a critical role in patient safety, infection prevention, and clinical efficiency—but it also contributes to a growing plastics waste challenge that no single organization can solve alone. From device manufacturers and packaging suppliers to hospitals, recyclers, and policymakers, the healthcare plastics ecosystem is deeply interconnected. That reality was on full display at the Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council’s (HPRC) Spring 2026 Full Council Meeting, where one message came through loud and clear: collaboration is not optional, its essential.
HPRC recognizes that tackling the systemic barriers to healthcare plastics recycling relies on collaboration across the value chain, and the biannual in-person meetings help work toward this goal. Attendees from across the healthcare ecosystem brought fresh perspectives on how to tackle complex challenges, from global device manufacturers and packaging suppliers to recyclers, sustainability practitioners, and hospital representatives.
Highlights
This latest meeting made clear the importance of collaboration in driving progress towards sustainable healthcare plastics and packaging.
Regulations as a Catalyst for Collaboration
Regulatory uncertainty, particularly around extended producer responsibility (EPR) and the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), packaging waste rules, and recycled content requirements, can feel like a moving target. Yet many meeting participants noted that regulations, while challenging, are also forcing necessary conversations across the value chain. A panel discussion hosted at the meeting addressed some of the more pressing questions arising from emerging regulations.
Panelists emphasized the importance of continuing conversations as these regulations evolve. Not only discussing the impacts internally but working with customers and suppliers to share resources and education on how operations may be impacted and what changes may be necessary to ensure compliance. And while preparation is important, other panelists emphasized the need to remain flexible and adaptable given the ever-changing nature of the regulations.
At the end of the discussion, all four panelists agreed that although emerging regulations present challenges and uncertainties, they are ultimately driving conversations that needs to be had. Conversations around responsibility and how value chain partners can work together to not only comply with the regulations, but also come up with creative solutions to the barriers that have long faced healthcare plastics and packaging.
Overcoming Operational Barriers Through Partnership
In addition to discussing challenges, it’s important to recognize successes and acknowledge the progress that is being made in recycling healthcare plastics and packaging. One success shared during the meeting came in the form of a partnership between BD, a medical device manufacturer, and Envetec, a cleantech company that treats biohazardous medical waste. The two organizations embarked on a feasibility study to test the ability to recycle polystyrene Petri dishes into new, high-quality manufacturing feedstock.
Their study found that similar high-quality polymers, including polystyrene, polyester, polypropylene, and polyethylene, could be reused in the manufacturing supply chain after being safely disinfected and processed.
While there is still more work to be done in order to scale this process, the pilot demonstrates a sustainable pathway for these plastics to remain in circulation and create a closed-loop solution.
To learn more about the pilot study, visit: BD and Envetec Demonstrate Closed-Loop Recycling Solution for Laboratory Plastics in Health Care
Addressing Challenges Through Project Work
One of the main objectives of the biannual meetings is to discuss HPRC’s ongoing project work and share progress toward our collective goals of creating a circular economy for healthcare plastics. Each project engages members from across the value chain, seeking to solve the most pressing barriers in healthcare plastics recycling. Projects are built on a foundation of collaboration, understanding that progress cannot be made without partnership. 2026 project work includes:
Houston Healthcare Plastics Regional Recycling Initiatives: Building on work carried out in 2024 and 2025, this project aims to initiate a regional healthcare plastics recycling program in Houston with the goal of creating a playbook that can be implemented in other regions. The Houston initiative is a collaborative effort with the Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW) and the Vinyl Institute, starting with the Houston Methodist healthcare network.
HFAB Resource Refresh: Working closely with our Healthcare Facility Advisory Board (HFAB), the project team will create a plan to update HPRC’s Hospicycle toolkit by conducting a gap assessment. They will work to understand what tools are most useful, what resources are missing, and what can be improved. They will then develop a plan to refresh our available resources and build new tools that meet the changing needs of healthcare facilities as they implement and operationalize plastics recycling programs in clinical settings of their facilities.
Recycling Infrastructure: This project aims to improve our understanding of what medical device manufacturers (MDMs) and packaging suppliers should prioritize for recycle-ready packaging and materials selection. The project team will engage with U.S. hospitals to create a publicly available map highlighting hospitals that are currently recycling, their recycling partners, and what materials are being recycled.
Standardized Labeling for Flexible & Rigid Packaging: The goal of this project is to support accurate material identification to improve end-of-life separation and recyclability by developing a standardized approach to labeling flexible and rigid medical packaging materials across MDMs and suppliers. The project team will review and understand the current state of existing labeling practices to inform the development of labeling guidelines.
Volume and Value Tool: This project aims to develop a tool to predict plastic and recyclable material moving through a facility using predictive analytics gathered from procurement data as well as partnerships with hospitals to determine product material makeup. The tool would allow users to evaluate a material’s recyclability to see how purchasing decisions affect the end volume of recyclable materials.
Moving Forward, Together
Healthcare plastics recycling is a systems challenge, and systems challenges don’t yield to siloed solutions. The progress highlighted at HPRC’s Spring 2026 meeting shows what’s possible when partnership and collaboration are placed at the forefront.
For healthcare packaging, collaboration is the key to overcoming today’s barriers and the foundation for building a more sustainable future.
