Our commitment to sustainability

At UltraPure International, we recognize the vital role sustainability plays in today's global landscape. Our commitment to environmental responsibility is reflected in our approach to single-use assemblies. We strive to minimize our environmental impact through sustainable practices and partnerships, aiming for a greener future in the single-use market.

Sustainable Single-use Assemblies

Contrary to common perceptions, single-use assemblies can be a sustainable choice. They significantly reduce the need for extensive cleaning processes required by traditional systems, thereby saving water and energy.

Additionally, our assemblies are designed to optimize material use and minimize waste. By collaborating with partners and continuously improving our processes, we ensure that our products meet the high standards of sustainability without compromising on quality and reliability. This aligns with our goal of obtaining the lowest carbon footprint possible within our operations and supply chain.

Advancing sustainability with Single-Use Technologies (SUTs)

Single-Use Technologies (SUTs) are driving innovation in both healthcare and environmental sustainability. The rapid development and production of new medications and vaccines, asked for faster setup times and greater flexibility in process configurations compared to traditional stainless steel systems.

Through the implementation of Single-Use Technologies, significant improvements in resource efficiency are achieved, including substantial reductions in water, chemical, and energy usage.

Water Conservation: SUTs use 87% less water due to significantly reduced cleaning requirements.
Chemical Reduction: The need for caustic chemicals is cut by 95%, lowering the environmental impact of cleaning and sterilization processes.
Energy Savings: SUTs require 30% less electricity, making them ideal for facilities with smaller operational footprints.

Additionally, it’s important to note that plastics used in healthcare account for less than 2% of global plastic waste, with SUTs contributing only a small fraction of this. The life sciences industry is continuously advancing towards more sustainable bioprocessing technologies. Key areas of focus include:

Improving Bioprocessing Efficiency
Eco-Design Guidelines for continuous improvement
Development of Bio-Based carbon plastics
Recycling and Circular Opportunities

We will keep you updated regularly on progress in these key areas.

Comparing Single-Use Technologies with Stainless Steel systems

To highlight the benefits of single-use technologies compared to traditional stainless steel systems, please refer to the table below:

Focus Area	Benefits of Single-use	Benefits of Stainless Steel
Environmental Impact	Lower consumption of water and engergy, less need of cleaning agents, lower contamination risk	Reusable over long periods, fully recyclable at end-of-life
Quality Control	Supplier-driven change management, consistent materials contact, minimised cross-contamination	Established procedures, stringent end-user quality controls
Scalability	Fast scaling options, customizable to specific needs, minimal downtime during expansion	Suitable for large-scale operations, robust and long-lasting
Cost Efficiency	Lower initial investment, faster construction and implementation, efficient closed system design	Reduced operational costs over time, high durability
Operational flexibility	Enhanced process flexibility, easy implementation of new technologies, modular designs for quick reconfiguration	Durable and capable of handling high capacities

Our sustainability goals and initiatives

With our partners we are dedicated to achieving sustainability through several focused initiatives:

Hitma Single Use's Circular Economy Initiative

Hitma Single Use is at the forefront of integrating circular economy principles into single-use technology. Recognizing the challenge of plastic waste, Hitma is working on the development of a comprehensive return and recycle service for unused single-use materials, in which we participate enthusiastically. This initiative prevents the incineration of plastics and repurposes them into raw materials for other industries. Through collaboration with various stakeholders, including pharmaceutical companies and educational institutions, Hitma is building a network to drive the circular transition of single-use products. Our goal is to implement a separation station that supports this circular project and will improve efficiency.

Colly Flowtech's Sustainability Efforts with EcoVadis

Colly Flowtech underscores its commitment to sustainability through continuous improvement and EcoVadis certification. The certification evaluates companies on various sustainability criteria, including environmental impact, labor and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement. Since joining EcoVadis in 2022, Colly Flowtech set clear goals and has successfully achieved Bronze in 2022 and Silver in 2023, placing them in the top 8% of companies worldwide.

We are committed to implementing practices that allow us to achieve EcoVadis certification too, of course working closely with our partners within the Life Science segments of Pharma, Biotech, and Food.

Indutrade's Sustainability Approach

As part of the Indutrade Group, we benefit from their comprehensive sustainability strategy. Indutrade emphasizes the integration of sustainable practices across all subsidiaries, focusing on reducing environmental impact, promoting social responsibility, and ensuring long-term economic viability. We ensure that our practices align with Indutrade’s comprehensive sustainainability strategy. This approach not only strengthens our commitment to sustainability but also aligns our efforts with broader industry standards, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and responsible business practices.

CO2 monitoring and Scope 3 emissions reduction

As we understand that not only us, but partners and customers are also facing new sustainability regulations, we started developing a tool to calculate the CO2 equivalent value per assembly. This tool will enable all of us to monitor and reduce our carbon footprint more effectively.

Our final goal is to enhance our efforts to calculate and reduce Scope 3 emissions. Scope 3 emissions are indirect greenhouse gas emissions that occur in our value chain, both upstream and downstream, and are not covered by Scope 1 (direct emissions from owned or controlled sources) or Scope 2 (indirect emissions from the generation of purchased electricity, steam, heating, and cooling consumed by the company). Examples of Scope 3 emissions include those from purchased goods and services, business travel, employee commuting, waste disposal, use of sold products, and transportation and distribution not owned by the company.

By automating the calculation of inbound reporting and decreasing transport movements, especially by air, through improved stock and purchase management, we aim to lower our carbon footprint. This comprehensive approach ensures we address the largest portion of our overall emissions, leading to a more sustainable operation.