Reprocessing-as-a-Service

Synoro Med

Reprocessing-as-a-Service

Reimagining healthcare through reusable medical supplies and reprocessing services to slash healthcare's massive environmental footprint.

Canada

Canada

For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models

Healthcare faces a devastating paradox: it significantly contributes to climate change while simultaneously becoming increasingly vulnerable to its effects. The sector generates 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions—double that of aviation—with 70% originating from the manufacturing and disposal of single-use supplies, resulting in a staggering 29 pounds of waste per patient bed daily. This linear model disrupts critical supply chains, as seen with 2024’s Hurricane Helene, which caused widespread IV fluid shortages, impacting patient care globally. These events highlight the fragility of current supply chains and their susceptibility to climate-related shocks. Climate change further threatens human health, contributing to an estimated 250,000 additional deaths annually, and escalates healthcare costs, with over $800 billion in added health expenses in the US alone per year. Despite 77 countries committing to sustainable healthcare through the WHO's ATACH initiative, and 39 setting Net Zero targets, healthcare facilities lack viable alternatives to their dependency on single-use items. They are uncertain how to achieve these targets without compromising patient care. Existing recycling programs, achieve less than 10% efficacy, fail to address the core issue: healthcare's reliance on a linear consumption model that generates emissions, creates systemic vulnerability, and destabilizes essential supply chains.

We aim to offer a comprehensive "reprocessing-as-a-service" platform, building a circular economy for healthcare. We redesign single-use medical supplies for safe reuse, preserving their original function and feel. Our initial product, a reusable IV bag, is designed for clinician familiarity while withstanding multiple sterilization cycles. It integrates seamlessly into existing workflows, requiring only a shift from waste to collection bins. The core of our innovation lies in regional reprocessing centers. Here, automation ensures consistent quality as we clean, sterilize, quality-check, and refill bags. This service model eliminates the need for hospitals to invest in costly reprocessing equipment or training. Moreover, these regional centers strengthen supply chain resilience, minimizing disruptions from extreme weather events as we scale our network. We engineer our containers with durable materials and design features that enable safe reuse without contamination, ensuring compatibility with automated reprocessing. Smart tracking technology monitors each container's lifecycle, guaranteeing quality and safety. Importantly, these design principles can be applied to other high-volume consumables. This full-service approach allows healthcare facilities to adopt sustainable practices without operational disruption, reduce their environmental footprint, and enhance supply chain resilience. We project costs to be comparable to current single-use supplies.

Our solution addresses the needs of multiple stakeholders grappling with environmental impact and fragile supply chains. Firstly, we serve health authorities committed to environmental sustainability, such as the UK NHS with its Net Zero by 2040 target. Hospital sustainability managers are currently unsure how to achieve these goals using existing approaches. Secondly, clinical staff who witness daily waste – the doctors and nurses expressing feelings of guilt and emotional distress from discarding vast amounts of plastic – need simpler, sustainable alternatives for their demanding roles. Thirdly, healthcare administrators and procurement teams face increasing pressure to reduce Scope 3 emissions without sacrificing quality or increasing costs. Our solution offers significant environmental improvements while maintaining patient safety and cost efficiency. Furthermore, our regional reprocessing model protects against supply shortages following climate events by reducing reliance on vulnerable global supply chains, as seen after Hurricane Helene damaged Baxter's facility in 2024, causing months of IV fluid shortages – a scenario our model aims to prevent. Ultimately, our work safeguards patient and public health by ensuring reliable access to essential care and, crucially, by minimizing healthcare's environmental impact, thereby lessening the environmental health burdens that disproportionately affect disadvantaged communities.