Reducing the environmental impact of surgical care, in the order that actually matters
1. Our commitment
Vitalex is committed to running its business in an environmentally responsible way, and to helping its customers reduce the environmental impact of surgical care. Single-use medical consumables carry a real environmental cost. We treat reducing that cost as a core objective of the business rather than as a compliance exercise.
2. Scope and compliance
This policy applies to all Vitalex operations and to the products we place on the market. We comply with applicable environmental legislation and, where practicable, go beyond it. This policy supports the objectives of the NHS Green Plan and is written to align with the sustainability expectations applied to NHS suppliers, including the Evergreen Sustainable Supplier Assessment and the requirements of Procurement Policy Note 006.
3. We work to the waste hierarchy, in order
The waste hierarchy puts prevention first and disposal last. We apply it in that order, and we are explicit about which tier each part of our offer sits at, because presenting a recovery service as though it were a reduction measure would be misleading.
| Tier | What we do |
|---|---|
| Prevent and reduce | Right-sizing procedure packs so that fewer components are consumed and discarded. This is our primary lever and it is where the largest environmental gain sits. |
| Reuse | Where a reusable alternative is clinically appropriate and available, we say so, even where it reduces the volume we sell. |
| Recycle and recover | GreenCycle two-stream recovery, diverting non-contaminated packaging from incineration and landfill. |
| Dispose | Compliant treatment of clinical waste that cannot be recovered, under HTM 07-01. |
4. How we act
4.1 Waste reduction by design
Our primary lever is configuring procedure packs and draping sets to match actual clinical need, so that fewer components are opened and discarded. Right-sizing the pack is the single most effective way to cut surgical waste, and it is endorsed in the Green Surgery Report and by the Royal College of Surgeons. It also reduces cost, which is why it is a commercial conversation as well as an environmental one.
We will recommend removing components from a pack where the clinical evidence supports it, and we will do so even where it reduces the value of the order.
4.2 Supply chain resilience and distance
We work with near-shore European manufacturing where we can, which shortens distribution routes and reduces the emissions associated with getting product to a UK theatre. It also reduces the supply risk associated with long, single-route supply chains.
4.3 Responsible recovery: GreenCycle
Where waste is unavoidable, GreenCycle provides a two-stream recovery route: non-contaminated outer packaging is recovered through Biffa, and clinical waste is managed through PHS Group under HTM 07-01. Customers receive combined recovery documentation covering both streams.
4.4 Resource use and procurement
- ▪ reducing energy, water and material use in our own operations;
- ▪ preferring suppliers and materials with credible environmental credentials, and requiring, through our Terms and Conditions of Purchase, that any environmental or carbon information supplied to us is accurate and capable of substantiation;
- ▪ minimising packaging and increasing recycled and recyclable content where it does not compromise sterility or safety; and
- ▪ working toward lower-carbon distribution over time.
4.5 Carbon
We measure and work to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. Our approach, our baseline and our reduction targets are set out in our separate Carbon Reduction Plan, prepared in line with Procurement Policy Note 006 and published on this website.
5. Objectives, measurement and honesty about claims
We set environmental objectives, monitor performance and review this policy at least annually. As our operational data matures, particularly waste data from our recovery partners, we will publish measurable targets.
We will not publish a recovery figure, a diversion rate or a carbon saving that we cannot evidence. Where a figure is an estimate we will say so and state the assumptions behind it. Where a certification or assessment is referenced, we display it only once it is genuinely held.
6. Responsibility
The Board owns this policy. Every member of the Vitalex team is expected to support its aims in their day-to-day work. Concerns about environmental practice, including any concern that an environmental claim is not supported by evidence, can be raised under our Whistleblowing Policy.