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Our product responsibility.
Targeted use of resources
Health is our prime concern. It is essential that patients and medical staff can fully rely on our products. Not only because health is an important subject, but because we are more sustainable in the long run. Every product that meets safety and quality standards reduces the risk of negative health consequences, as well as any unnecessary ecological impact and waste of resources through poor quality. We pursue maximum product safety while using resources as sparingly as possible. The HARTMANN Sustainability Report 2021 shows you how we achieve this goal.
Product quality & environmental compatibility: our measures
Our approach is to use resources consciously to be as environmentally friendly as we can. In order to succeed with this in the production of our medical materials, hygienics, and cosmetic products, HARTMANN has taken various measures in the past few years and complies with legal regulations:
- Early implementation of the European Medical Device Regulation (MDR)
- Use of e-NORM software at 17 global sites to acquire knowledge and follow the latest regulatory requirements
- Investments in research and development with a focus on product development (€94.9 million in 2021)
- Innovative material selection and product design to reduce negative climate impact effectively while maintaining product performance and function
- Recycling and proper material disposal at the end of the product lifecycle
- Development of more sustainable packaging including corresponding warehouse and transport optimisation
- Portfolio expansion for e-health solutions to reduce material and resource consumption
- Analysis and optimisation of supply chains, including monitoring of partner businesses concerning quality and sustainability criteria
Case: MoliCare® Premium Bed Mats
With MoliCare® Premium Bed Mats - premium bed protection layers by HARTMANN - we have taken an important step ahead in the incontinence management segment. We have optimised the packaging materials significantly and placed them successfully in the market. By doing so, in 2021 alone, we saved approximately 30,000 pallets*, as well as the corresponding warehouse and transportation costs. In the years to come, we will continue to pursue these optimisation measures and expand them into other sections of the HARTMANN incontinence portfolio.
* The value refers to the German, French, Spanish and Czech markets.
Wolfgang Röhrl, Senior Vice President Incontinence Management
"The optimisation of the MoliCare® Premium Bed Mats packaging is a first step towards an important transformation of our entire incontinence portfolio. These first resource savings are a great success. However, we have not achieved our goal yet: The continuing optimisation of the entire incontinence portfolio is the next big step towards an even more sustainable production."
Case: Kneipp lip care
In launching its coloured lip care in March 2021, Kneipp has not only won the Red Dot design award 2021, but also expanded its sustainability commitment significantly. The product packaging relies on paper alternatives that dispense with fresh wood fibres and instead use grass as paper material, a particularly fast self-renewing raw material.
Additionally, the product cylinder consists of residual cork as well as Paper Blend which is made from 99% organic-based raw materials. The raw materials used for the lip balms bear the OK Compost EN13432 Certificate and can be composted under industrial conditions. In 2021, Kneipp was awarded the independent GREEN BRAND seal for its sustainability strategy for the fifth time.
Developing recycling concepts of the future
We do not rely on our existing success but strive to improve even further. For example, through our cooperation with the European Disposables and Nonwovens Association (Edana), the world’s leading nonwoven textiles association collaborates with us on projects to enable material recovery of raw materials from used hygiene products in the future. For the majority of products, industrial recycling after use is not, or is only partly, possible because these products come into contact with body fluids during use. However, used products can be routed for thermal recovery and thus serve to recover energy.
