How Sustainable Are Single-Use Technologies?

Environmental impact of single-use technologies

Single-use systems and sustainability seem to be contradicting topics. Spoiler alert: they‘re not.

When you think of plastic waste and environment on our planet it’s impossible to unsee pictures of animals in their natural habitat trapped in plastic waste. Nevertheless, there is no chance that this waste comes from the biopharmaceutical industry. Less than 0,01% of the plastic waste generated annually worldwide are single-use technologies derived from the biopharma. This portion is subject to strict guidelines, so they’re usually collected, decontaminated and disposed rigorously.¹

Furthermore, manufacturers of single-use technologies are obliged to facilitate the separation of the product into its base materials after use. Therefore, the single-use products are mostly very easy to recycle.