The global healthcare industry is at a crossroads. On one side lies the essential need for sterile, high-performance plastic materials in medical packaging and devices. On the other, the growing environmental burden caused by single-use plastics continues to raise alarm. In this context, two industry leaders — SABIC and Coveris — have joined forces to accelerate medical plastic recycling and create a circular model for healthcare packaging.

Their collaboration marks a major step toward sustainable transformation in the medical sector — one that combines innovation, material science, and real-world circular economy principles.

The Growing Challenge of Medical Plastic Waste

Medical-grade plastics such as PP, PE, and PET are indispensable for ensuring safety and sterility in hospitals and laboratories. However, most of these materials are used once and then discarded due to contamination concerns.
Globally, the healthcare industry generates millions of tonnes of plastic waste annually, a large portion of which ends up incinerated or in landfills.

Traditional recycling streams often exclude medical waste because of:

• Complex material compositions
  

• Potential contamination risks
  

• Strict regulatory requirements
  

• Lack of traceability for reprocessed materials
  

As a result, hospitals have struggled to integrate sustainable waste management practices — until now.

SABIC and Coveris: Pioneering a Closed-Loop Medical Recycling Project

The Coveris–SABIC partnership, announced in late 2025, aims to tackle exactly this challenge. The project focuses on developing a fully circular process for recycling clean, non-contaminated medical plastic waste into high-quality raw materials that can re-enter the medical supply chain.

Here’s how it works:

1. Collection: Clean and non-contaminated plastic waste is collected from medical manufacturing and packaging facilities.
   

2. Recycling: The waste is mechanically processed and chemically recycled using SABIC’s TRUCIRCLE™ technology, which converts it into certified circular polymers.
   

3. Reproduction: These polymers are then supplied back to Coveris, which uses them to produce new medical packaging films.
   

4. Reuse: The new materials are used again in healthcare — completing a true closed-loop system.
   

This partnership doesn’t just recycle — it redefines how healthcare packaging can be made more circular and traceable.

SABIC’s Role: Material Innovation Through TRUCIRCLE™

SABIC, a global leader in diversified chemicals, brings its TRUCIRCLE™ portfolio to the initiative — a range of advanced circular polymers designed to support sustainability across multiple industries.

Key features of SABIC’s contribution:

• Certified Circular Polymers: Derived from advanced recycling of used plastics, ensuring performance equal to virgin resins.
  

• Material Traceability: Every recycled batch can be tracked from waste to new product — meeting medical compliance standards.
  

• Scalability: TRUCIRCLE™ solutions can be adapted for medical device housings, blister packs, tubing, and packaging films.
  

With this innovation, SABIC bridges the gap between regulatory safety and sustainability — something many healthcare material suppliers have struggled to achieve.

Coveris’ Commitment: Driving Circular Healthcare Packaging

Coveris, known for its expertise in sustainable packaging, complements SABIC’s materials expertise with manufacturing innovation.
By integrating recycled polymers into its medical-grade films and packaging, Coveris aims to significantly reduce the environmental footprint of healthcare packaging.

The company’s sustainability strategy — No Waste — focuses on minimizing waste throughout the entire value chain.
Through this collaboration, Coveris can now:

• Replace virgin polymers with certified circular alternatives
  

• Maintain product integrity and sterility
  

• Comply with EU and US medical packaging standards
  

• Support EPR and corporate sustainability goals
  

This project positions Coveris as one of the front-runners in circular healthcare manufacturing — setting an example for other players in the medical supply industry.

Regulatory and Market Relevance

The timing of this collaboration is crucial. Across major markets like the EU, US, and Canada, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws are pushing manufacturers to take accountability for the entire lifecycle of their products — including post-use recycling.

The EU Green Deal and U.S. Circular Economy Action Plan have both identified medical plastics as an emerging focus area.
Therefore, SABIC and Coveris’ initiative not only meets but anticipates future compliance standards — turning regulation into opportunity.

The Economic Side of Circular Healthcare

Beyond the environmental benefits, circular recycling also offers strong economic advantages for healthcare manufacturers and suppliers:

• Cost Efficiency: Reduced dependency on virgin resin imports.
  

• Material Security: Stable supply of recycled polymers even in volatile raw material markets.
  

• Brand Credibility: Alignment with ESG and corporate sustainability metrics.
  

As more hospitals and pharmaceutical firms set zero-waste goals, the demand for traceable, high-quality recycled medical plastics is expected to grow exponentially by 2030.

How Polymer in Stock Supports the Circular Polymer Movement

At Polymer in Stock, we believe that circularity isn’t a future vision — it’s happening right now.
As a trusted supplier of premium polymer raw materials, we actively support global sustainability initiatives like those from SABIC and Coveris by ensuring a steady supply of high-quality virgin and recycled polymers for various industries, including packaging and healthcare.

Our focus areas include:

• Reliable sourcing of PP, HDPE, LDPE, PET, and ABS
  

• Collaboration with certified recyclers and manufacturers
  

• Competitive pricing for both virgin and recycled materials
  

• Commitment to sustainable and ethical trade practices
  

Whether you’re a manufacturer seeking consistent raw material quality or a business ready to transition to sustainable sourcing — Polymer in Stock connects innovation with reliability.

Conclusion

The SABIC–Coveris partnership is more than just a recycling initiative — it’s a blueprint for how the healthcare industry can achieve sustainability without compromising safety or performance.
By closing the loop on medical plastic waste, these two companies are setting a powerful precedent for circular healthcare packaging and responsible material use.

As global industries embrace circular models, collaboration will remain the key. And with reliable partners like Polymer in Stock, the journey toward a cleaner, more sustainable polymer future becomes not only possible — but profitable.