Renewi together with partners, converts hospital waste into circular 3D printing material

Renewi is working with Van Straten Medical, O&M Halyard Europe and GreenCycl (partly owned by Renewi) on a circular solution for used sterilisation wrap from hospitals. This collaboration enables the conversion of this waste into high-quality 3D printing material: GO 3D filament, produced from recycled HALYARD* sterilisation wrap, with the aim of increasing applications of medical waste streams by 15%.

From hospital waste to 3D printing material

HALYARD* sterilisation wrap is a polypropylene material used once in hospitals to keep instruments sterile. After use, it is typically incinerated. In this collaboration, the material is given a new life in a circular chain:

• Renewi collects used HALYARD* sterilisation wrap from hospitals
• GreenCycl (partly owned by Renewi) processes it into recycled polypropylene (rPP)
• Van Straten Medical converts the rPP into GO 3D filament

In this way, healthcare waste is transformed into a usable secondary raw material. The filament can be used in 3D printing processes, for example for functional technical components.

Collaboration across the value chain

This approach brings together parties from across the full value chain: from producer and user to collection, recycling and reprocessing. O&M Halyard contributes expertise in sterilisation materials, while Renewi and GreenCycl provide collection and large-scale processing. Van Straten Medical develops and produces the filament.

Working together improves insight into material properties, processing and applications, supporting the further development of circular solutions.

A step towards circular healthcare

The initiative aligns with the growing focus in the healthcare sector on more efficient use of resources, reducing reliance on new fossil-based materials, and minimising waste. This collaboration demonstrates how healthcare waste can be reused as a raw material for new applications. In doing so, it helps reduce dependence on virgin resources and make better use of available materials.

At the same time, further validation is required to determine where and how the material can be applied safely and effectively, particularly within the regulated healthcare environment.

About the collaboration

Within this partnership, knowledge is shared on material properties and recycling opportunities for sterilisation wrap. The parties involved are working on scalable and practical applications, with attention to quality, regulatory requirements and the responsible use of recycled materials.