Mölnlycke Health Care has a longstanding commitment to minimising its environmental impact without compromising the effectiveness and safety of our products. Sound environmental practices are a priority in our production and at all our sites around the world.

Mölnlycke Health Care implemented an environmental management system within the company in 2001, and today all production facilities as well as our Head Office are ISO 14001 certified. In fact, we were one of the first medical device companies to achieve ISO 14001 certification in 2002.

Our corporate environmental focus areas are:

• Reduction of waste
• Consumption of energy
• Emission of carbon dioxide from transport
• Removal and replacement of chemicals classified as hazardous to the environment

In addition to these focus areas, all our sites have local targets based on local conditions and requirements. Some success stories during 2009 include:

• Energy consumption reduced by 33% in Waremme, Belgium
• Ozone generated by sterilisation plant in Waremme, Belgium reduced by 18%
• Transport related emissions of carbon dioxide per produced ton of finished goods reduced by 13%

Although we have not established any specific environmental targets when it comes to reducing the amount of water used in the factories, water consumption was reduced significantly at several sites during 2009:

• 25% in Mikkeli, Finland
• 50% Karvina, Czech Republic
• 23% at the Kuala Ketil site, Malaysia

Our site in Oldham in the UK has worked with Enworks, a support service helping businesses become greener, and has made great strides when it comes to energy consumption and packaging improvements. Watch the Enworks/Mölnlycke video.

Isabelle Artus, one of our Production Operators in Belgium, proved that a little creative thinking can go a long way when it comes to the environment. She saw the beauty in discarded offcut drapes and transformed the waste material into cleaning wipes. That meant instead of buying cleaning wipes, the factory could give its waste a new life. Isabelle was given an Innovation Award by the Belgian government for her efforts.