Coloplast is committed to minimising the negative impact on the environment by the production and use of our products.
From the moment we start developing a new product, we consider the environment. Our product development process is continuously evaluated to make sure it has the lowest environmental impact possible.
Consideration to the environment is a values we require from our supply chain too. Read our Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) policy to learn more. Below, you can explore different aspects of our environmental work:
Environmental awareness from the start
During product development, we assess the environmental impact of the materials and processes we are using. Often, we succeed in finding new ways of doing things that reduce environmental impact.
We carry out a so-called lifecycle screening, assessing the environmental impact of our products from production to use and disposal, including related issues such as transport and packaging.
Our environmental specialists work alongside engineers and pharmacists during product development. They advise the development team and makes suggestions for materials, chemicals and designs based on environmental considerations.
Environmental certification
Environmental certification is something we seek everywhere we make our products.
All production, research and development sites in Denmark, as well as our factories in Tatabánya, Hungary, Zhuhai, China, and Mankato, USA, are certified according to the international environmental management standard ISO 14001. The production site in Hungary is working towards the same certification in 2009. Our goal is that all Coloplast sites will eventually be certified according to ISO 14001.
We document, control and evaluate improvements. An quarterly environmental review means we focus on the most crucial issues. We have established procedures to minimise the impact of all processes that have significant consequences for the environment.
Core focus areas include waste, global warming and integration of environmental considerations in product development.
Climate strategy
Coloplast is not a particularly energy-intensive company. However, we are concerned about climate change and have agreed a climate strategy aiming at reducing CO2 emissions in our own value chain.
Plastic isn't just plastic
We develop, manufacture and markets medical devices for people with intimate healthcare needs. Plastic is a suitable material for many of these products because it is flexible, lightweight and impervious. Plastic is also useful for packaging our products as it keeps out dirt and bacteria.
We take into consideration a wide range of environmental factors:
Raw materials: most plastics are made from natural resources that can only be renewed slowly, such as crude oil and natural gas, so we try to make the most of the raw materials we use and avoid waste.
Manufacturing: the materials that our suppliers use to manufacture certain types of plastic can be hazardous if handled incorrectly. We assess our supply chain to make sure that workplaces are safe.
Additives: these help make our products flexible as well as noise- and odour-free and enable us to provide a wide range of tailored product choices. The use of some additives is controversial, such as DEHP, a plasticiser used in PVC. We no longer permit the use of DEHP in new product development. DEHP-free Coloplast products include the popular SpeediCath catheter and Security+ urine bags.
Disposal: Plastics are not bio-degradable and will not decompose in a landfill. Plastic incineration can produce energy, but incineration can also lead to waste products. Some plastic waste is grated for reuse by our manufacturing facilities. We constantly investigate new opportunities for recycling waste products.
Phthalates policy
Coloplast recognises the concern that the use of phthalates in medical devices is giving rise to. In particular, this is a concern for products designed for children, and women who are pregnant or breast-feeding.
Phthalate-free materials are now used in all our new products. Expansion of an existing product range, such as new sizes of existing products, is not considered a new product.
We openly communicate about  current products containing phthalates and suggest phthalate-free alternatives wherever this is possible.
Packaging is important too
We aim to use a minimum of packaging for our products. However, some of our products come individually wrapped for reasons of hygiene and sterility.
In compliance with the European Packaging and Packaging Waste directive 94/62 EF (including amendments) we have established a system to minimise our use of packaging, and recover packaging that by recycling or incineration with energy recovery.
(including amendments) we have established a system to minimise our use of packaging, and recover packaging that by recycling or incineration with energy recovery.
In addition, the system ensures that the packaging complies with the present limits for hazardous substances and heavy metals.
All of our retail and transport boxes have a recycled fibre content of between 30% and 45% and can also be recycled. For better environmental information, standardised recycling symbols are printed on retail and transport boxes, ensuring that most cardboard materials will be recycled. Coloplast has joined special packaging collection schemes operated in some countries and pay related charges. We have also joined the packaging recycling schemes DSD in Germany, Valpak in the UK and REPA in Sweden.
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