Medline Europe Installs Solar Panels at Bicester Warehouse, Expanding Renewable Energy Network

Background

Medline, a staple organisation in the medical devices industry, built its sustainability strategy around four distinct pillars. The first pillar, climate resilience and environmental action, drives the company to focus on achieving more sustainable operations and output. Through related initiatives, it aims to support healthcare's transition to a less carbon-intensive sector.

‘Medline recognises the role and responsibility we have to deliver social value while limiting our environmental impact. As part of our strategy for sustainability, we explore investments in renewable energy and modern technologies to help reduce our carbon footprint,’ Carolina Costa, Sustainability Manager said.

‘Globally, healthcare services have a significant carbon footprint, contributing four to five (4 – 5) per cent of total emissions. That’s why Medline takes its environmental responsibilities so seriously. It’s not only the right thing to do, but also essential. Our customers cannot meet their own carbon reduction targets without us,’ Simon Durston-Smith, Marketing Manager, United Kingdom and Ireland explained.

On-site developments and impact

The decision to install a large solar photovoltaic (PV) array on the roof of its warehouse in Bicester supports Medline’s commitment to achieving its Carbon Reduction Plan for operations in the UK. The installed solar panels, paired with the ongoing recycling of a majority of its packaging waste, further exemplifies its environmental action. Through this, Medline can systematically work towards reducing carbon emissions while diverting more waste to recycling.

Together, the solar panels represent a total system size of 584.1 kilowatt peak (kWp). As confirmed by MyPower UK, the combined panels are expected to:

• Reduce Medline’s carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions in the UK by an estimated 109.4 tonnes annually
• Generate 528,154 kilowatt-hour (kWh) units of energy annually
• Generate electricity that is estimated to exceed the annual consumption of electricity at the site.

‘Our goal is to meaningfully integrate sustainability into everything we do operationally. Furthermore, we highly value customer input, ensuring our solutions actively support their environmental and sustainability objectives,’ Till Warburg, Senior Director Operations, EMEA shared.

Going in this direction is particularly crucial for healthcare suppliers like Medline. Sources, including the National Health Service (NHS) in England, World Health Organization (WHO)-led Community of Practice for Climate Resilient and Low Carbon Sustainable Health Systems (ATACH) and Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) & Arup (Global Analysis) have consistently cited supply chains of this subgroup of companies as accounting for more than 60 per cent of their overall footprint.

Medline’s sustainability goals and long-term commitment to support its customer base with Scope 3 goals is directly affected by its ability to make improvements in this aspect of its operations.