One of Medline’s sustainability goals is to limit our environmental impact. To help mitigate the carbon footprint of our ocean, road, rail and air freight, our ‘One Container, One Tree’ reforestation initiative plants one tree in Europe for every inbound container of medical devices shipped from Asia and Europe.

This year in April, 2,500 trees were planted in Palencia, Northern Spain, through the social enterprise Reforest Action. And in April 2018, 2,000 trees were planted in Saint-Pierre-La-Bourlhonne, France. A total of 4,500 trees planted is a significant milestone, as it means all Medline product divisions are covered by ‘One Container, One Tree’.

Medline will continue to plant more trees in future in order to protect the environment whilst keeping up with the company’s growth.

On two Fridays in April, Medline’s plant in Bánovce nad Bebravou, Slovakia, opened its doors to employees’ family and friends so that they could learn more about the company and its activities.

Production in Slovakia started in August 2015 and focuses on the packaging of sterile procedure trays (SPTs) for surgeries, which are distributed to customers around Europe and contribute to greater efficiency in the operating theatre.

During the open house days, plant employees provided tours to visitors to explain Medline’s manufacturing processes and more about the SPT business. Visitors could also try to assemble an SPT in the plant’s training facility, proving how much time and expertise this task requires! And employees’ children also got to learn about some of the plant equipment and were particularly excited about the forklifts. At the end of the day, everyone enjoyed catered hors d'oeuvres and time socialising together.

Medline Slovakia and its employees were proud to open their doors and show their loved ones how they are contributing to the improvement of healthcare through the SPTs they work with on a daily basis.