Welcome to BlueBin's Sustainability Focus newsletter! We're excited to bring you insights on the intersection of environmental sustainability, patient care, and staff safety, specifically how supply chain dynamics contribute to the sector's long-term viability. This newsletter will provide valuable analysis and strategies to help you navigate the challenges of maintaining environmental sustainability in healthcare and supply chain systems. Stay tuned for expert insights and actionable tips to strengthen your decision-making for a sustainable future!
Employee Spotlight
Get to know our team!
Learn more about the folks here at BlueBin who keep supplies and operations flowing.
ROBB SWAN
Why I'm Passionate About Healthcare Supply Chain
Being part of BlueBin’s impact on hospitals for over a decade has been incredibly rewarding. What drives me is watching supply chain leaders transform their organizations and improve clinician workflows—and, ultimately, patient care. Seeing hesitant teams become full BlueBin believers and go on to lead change at other facilities is especially fulfilling.
Outside of Work
I love spending time with my wife and four kids, especially on vacation. When I get the chance, I golf, ski, or fish.
Industry News
Learn what's happening in healthcare sustainability.
Practice Greenhealth:Hospitals generate over 29 pounds of waste per bed per day Supply chain and clinicians play a key role in shaping a hospital’s sustainability efforts, especially regarding waste reduction. This article explores healthcare waste's financial and environmental impact and offers practical strategies to reduce it at the source. Discover how your organization can go beyond recycling to achieve meaningful, cost-saving change.
Health Care Without Harm (Europe):Reprocessing as a vital component of a greener healthcare system in the EU The Born Green Generation initiative aims to reduce the environmental impact of single-use medical devices through reprocessing, which involves cleaning and sterilizing devices for safe reuse, thus cutting reliance on disposable plastics. The initiative, with participation from Aarhus University Hospital, highlights the potential financial savings, reduction in CO₂ emissions, and strengthened supply chain security offered by reprocessing. It underscores the need for a broader move towards a circular healthcare system, emphasizing durable, multi-use device designs to achieve long-term sustainability in the healthcare sector.
Infection Control Today: Paper Waste in Health Care: Reducing Health and Environmental Impact Paper waste is the most significant contributor to nonhazardous waste in healthcare, yet it often goes unnoticed in sustainability efforts. This article explores paper waste's environmental and health impacts and offers practical strategies clinicians can support to reduce it—without compromising hygiene or efficiency.
BlueBin Client Success Story
Learn more about BlueBin client partner successes.
Mercy Hospital & Medical Center implemented BlueBin’s specialized kanban inventory system, significantly enhancing environmental sustainability by reducing waste and excess supplies through a streamlined two-bin system. This approach eliminated inefficiencies, cut storage space by half, and saved over one million dollars annually, fostering a more sustainable and efficient supply chain that allowed staff to focus on patient care. By adopting these lean principles, Mercy improved both resource management and environmental impact within healthcare operations.
Polls
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Request a Complimentary Supply Chain Resilience Assessment
For a limited time, BlueBin is offering a complimentary supply chain resilience assessment for healthcare organizations, including acute and non-acute facilities, to evaluate their resilience framework against industry-leading practices.
Note: BlueBin’s mission is to transform healthcare by enhancing the supply chain process, ensuring that patient care staff have the right supplies at the right time and maximizing efficiency. In line with this mission, BlueBin advocates for and supports the AHRMM Keys for Supply Chain Excellence. By focusing on improving inventory management, optimizing supply chain processes, and minimizing waste, we aim to reduce costs, accelerate operational efficiency, and enhance clinical outcomes throughout the continuum of care. The AHRMM Keys for Supply Chain Excellence serve as key performance indicators (KPIs), establishing essential standards for supply chain management in the healthcare field. Learn more about the AHRMM Keys.
Case Study summary: Hospitals must prioritize ethical and sustainable waste management by increasing transparency in waste audits, reducing unnecessary consumption, and investing in reusable and recyclable materials to minimize environmental harm. They should address environmental justice by ensuring waste disposal does not disproportionately burden vulnerable communities and engage frontline workers in policy decisions. Advocacy for systemic change, such as stricter regulations and sustainable procurement, is critical, alongside adopting innovative disposal technologies. Culturally, hospitals must align waste reduction with their ethical duty to "do no harm," educating staff and integrating sustainability into accreditation standards. By implementing measurable targets, multidisciplinary collaboration, and responsible redistribution of unused supplies, hospitals can reduce costs, protect public health, and fulfill their mission equitably.
Did you know?BlueBin drives significant waste reduction in hospitals by leveraging real-time FEFO/FFO inventory tracking to dramatically decrease expired medical supplies. BlueBin reduces hazardous waste volumes by improving segregation accuracy and minimizing red-bag misuse, while increasing the percentage of reprocessed medical devices and recycled materials. By optimizing inventory levels and automating replenishment, BlueBin cuts overstocking and associated waste. These waste reduction impacts simultaneously lower disposal costs and environmental harm, while maintaining compliance with sustainability standards–creating a leaner, more ethical healthcare supply chain that aligns with hospitals' environmental stewardship goals.
Sustainability Tip
Utilize Digital Kanban Boards
Transition to BlueQ Analytics digital kanban boards instead of traditional paper boards. This reduces paper waste and ensures that information is easily accessible and updatable, which can enhance collaboration and streamline workflows.
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