Environmental Responsibility
From an active corporate office waste recycling program to developing environmentally responsible medical instruments and packaging, Orthofix is working to continually reduce its environmental impact.
We embed the principles of advancing a circular economy into our practices globally through our facility and manufacturing initiatives that include an in-office recycling program including recycle/reuse practices and a commitment to eliminate Styrofoam. Additionally, our facilities have energy efficient HVAC systems, 100-percent sustainable energy in certain locations, and our California offices also include electric vehicle charging stations to promote environmentally friendly behaviors among employees.
We are committed to transitioning to lower carbon operations. We have begun to explore a decrease in our carbon footprint for the manufacturing and supply of our surgical instruments via single-use sterile packed instruments. In 2020, we launched a partnership with Neo Medical to distribute single-use sterile packed instrumentation for certain spine surgeries and develop single-use solutions for other procedures. These single-use sterile packed instruments eliminate the high carbon cost of repeated shipping and sterilization, cutting the carbon footprint and improving the spinal surgery ecosystem with value-based care and sustainable technology solutions.
In July 2022, we announced the limited market release and first patient implant of the Virtuos Lyograft, a first-of-its-kind, shelf-stable and complete autograft substitute for spine and orthopedic procedures. Virtuos is provided in a room-temperature, ready-to-use, moldable form offers significant logistical and cost-savings advantages to the hospital with improved shipping, storage, and operating room efficiency. The room temperature shipment and storage of Virtuos eliminates the use of large quantities of dry ice, Styrofoam shippers, and freezer storage, enabling flexible shipping options and reduced packaging, with the aim of a reduced carbon footprint.
We are also proud to be the first and only company in the U.S. to offer a free recycling program so patients can properly dispose of Bone Growth Therapy devices after use. We launched this innovative program in 2021 enabling Orthofix patients to recycle their devices for non-medical use once they complete treatment, thereby reducing the number of devices that end up in landfills after use. To date, we have sent shipping labels to more than 8,000 patients to facilitate recycling of these devices. Visit bonegrowththerapy.com to learn more about this groundbreaking new program.
We are committed to sustainable practices in our operations, manufacturing, and supply chain through the use of sustainable energy, waste reduction, and waste and equipment recycling.