Medline Releases Annual Sustainability Report, Highlighting Efforts from 2025
15 th July 2026
15
Jul
2026
Medline Releases Annual Sustainability Report, Highlighting Efforts from 2025 Report outlines Medline’s continuous efforts to operate as a resilient and responsible organisation.
As a global manufacturer and distributor of medical supplies, Medline continues to integrate sustainability into its operations and decision-making, with a focus on improving resilience, reducing environmental impact and advancing responsible business practices.
“Building a resilient business means looking beyond today's challenges. Throughout 2025, we continued to integrate sustainability into the way we work, helping us make better decisions, strengthen our operations and support healthcare providers for the long term,” said Hervé Million, president of Medline Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
EMEA highlights of the report include:
- Advocating for WRAP certification in the healthcare sector among Tier 1 suppliers of wearables, protective apparel and medical textiles: In 2025, WRAP celebrated its 25th anniversary and, in 2026, Medline will celebrate 10 years of partnership. By the end of 2025, 46 facilities were WRAP-certified in our supply chain, demonstrating compliance with 12 principles aligned with UN, OECD and ILO guidelines on safe, lawful, humane and ethical manufacturing.
- Sustainability awards and recognition: In Spain, Medline Europe received the Premio al Stand Sostenible (Sustainable Stand Award) at the ANECORM Congress.
- Medline launched a cuff-first glove dispensing option in Europe, offering facilities an alternative approach to help reduce dispensing waste: Our SmartBoX™ glove dispensing system gained further clinical validation with the publication of a white paper in the Journal of Hospital Infection in August 2025, documenting a 38% reduction in waste relative to a standard box. At the manufacturing level, factories supplying Medline's exam gloves are increasingly adopting AI-powered visual inspection systems designed to detect aesthetic and surface defects at high speed and scale, which may help limit defective gloves from reaching customers and reduce waste associated with returns and discards.
- Continuing emissions reduction with electric vehicles: In 2025, Medline Europe deployed its first electric truck in partnership with GT Solutions for distribution of medical-surgical products in the Île-de-France region from our Le Coudray-Montceaux facility, marking the first time GT Solutions implemented an electric truck in the healthcare sector.
- Recognising the value of Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs): With a portfolio of approximately 190,000 Medline Brand products, LCAs are applied strategically, focusing on product categories where we believe deeper analysis can generate the most meaningful insight. Currently concentrated in Europe, these assessments help identify emissions-intensive stages within target product groups and may inform improvements across materials, manufacturing processes and supply chain design. Our existing portfolio of verified LCAs in Europe has covered surgical drapes, surgical gowns, surgical gloves and exam gloves. In 2025, we expanded this portfolio to include verified LCAs for MED-SOFT 3L Liner, Gemini Sterilization Wrap and EasyBath® Wash Gloves. These assessments adhered to internationally recognized ISO standards and were independently verified by third parties.
- Scaling packaging innovation: In 2025, Medline scaled successful packaging pilots from 2024, such as the Palbox solution. This is a pallet-sized bulk container that demonstrates how design innovations can reduce packaging waste while improving operational efficiency. The system features three layers of protection with front and side access flaps that are designed to simplify handling, maximize pallet utilization and reduce manual touchpoints. Environmental benefits based on standard pallet configurations include the potential for:
- 49.3% reduction in packaging-related CO₂e emissions per pack
- 50.8% reduction in cardboard weight per pack
- 23% reduction in polyethylene bag weight per pack
- Striving to build trust through consistent ethical conduct, strong governance and rigorous protection of sensitive information, employees completed more than 4,100 learning hours across digital learning platforms and language programs, engaging participants in structured development activities. Training included introductory courses on sustainability and LCAs, along with leadership programs across Europe through local HR teams.
- Charitable giving and volunteering initiatives: Continued Pink October and Movember campaigns, donating €10,000 for Think Pink Europe and €5,000 for Movember Foundation Europe through employee engagement. In 2025, Medline Europe launched its first Blood Donation Campaign. The Kleve, Germany, warehouse partnered with the German Red Cross West for an on-site blood donation drive. Additional employees volunteered at blood donation events in Iberia and Slovakia facilities.
“The progress we've made across EMEA reflects what can be achieved when sustainability becomes part of the business. By working closely with our customers, suppliers and employees, we're helping create a healthcare supply chain that is resilient, responsible and ready for the challenges of tomorrow,” said Oliver Watts, sustainability director, EMEA.
To learn more and view the full 2025 Sustainability Report, visit Sustainability documents - Medline.
About Medline
Medline is one of the largest providers of medical-surgical products and supply chain solutions, helping healthcare providers improve clinical, operational, and financial outcomes.
In EMEA, we partner with healthcare providers to deliver clinically focused products and services built on four foundations: tradition, proximity to clients, reliability, and sustainability. Together, these strengths help healthcare professionals focus on what matters most — caring for patients. To learn more about how Medline makes healthcare run better, visit We are Medline.
* Includes solar photovoltaic generation from systems located at Medline-owned or -operated facilities, including behind-the-meter systems, a community solar project, and third party-owned systems under power purchase agreements.
Unless otherwise indicated, all figures are as of December 31, 2025
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