Medline Europe’s Sustainable Stand Secures Top Honours at ANECORM Congress

A digital and responsible showcase

ANECORM—the Spanish Congress of Nursing Coordination of Material Resources—is a key event for Medline, connecting the company with key decision-makers who evaluate and select products for the public healthcare sector.

‘The Hospital Coordinators of Material Resources are an essential point of contact in the daily work of our sales and marketing teams,’ said Paulino Lopez, Marketing Manager, Iberia at Medline. ‘We recognise the high value of their work ... and the value of representing, in front of them, our products and service solutions in the most professional, extended and accurate way possible.’

Medline's commitment to sustainability was evident in every aspect of the stand's design, which was a pilot project intended to set a new standard for the company’s future exhibitions. The design took a month to design and another month to construct.

Key sustainable features that impressed the judges included:

• Digital-first approach – The stand featured 35 unique quick response (QR) codes and four tablets, eliminating the need for paper brochures and product catalogues. This resulted in a clean, attractive, and highly interactive space.
• Reduced carbon footprint – The construction method and materials, which included using modular aluminium and sheet metal structures, resulted in a 27.92 per cent reduction in carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) emissions, compared to a conventional stand, saving 0.71 tonnes of CO₂e.
• Reusable and recyclable materials – All elements were designed to be reusable, rented, or recyclable. Structures were made from 83 per cent iron and 90 per cent recycled aluminium, with low-power light-emitting diode (LED) technology used for lighting.
• Local commitment – The assembly team consisted of 50 per cent local hires from Oviedo, reducing travel-related carbon emissions and committing to the local community.

A systemic shift toward sustainability

The award, which was first presented in 2024 (and won last year by Iberhospitex), highlights the increasing sensitivity of the healthcare market to sustainability criteria.

Members of the ANECORM board of directors and the jury for the award, Maria Teresa Lopez Medran and Monica Planas Garcia, stated that Medline was awarded the prize due to its ‘design with sustainable and reusable materials, the information available through digital technologies and QR codes, in addition to energy efficiency.’

For Medline, the victory represents more than just a trophy. It validates the company’s efforts to embed environmental responsibility into its operations.

Oliver Watts, Sustainability Director EMEA, speaking on the importance of this, stated, ‘This approach epitomises our sustainability ambition to embed environmental responsibility into decision making across all aspects of our operations ... Initiatives like this help normalise sustainable thinking and demonstrate what’s possible when innovation and responsibility go hand in hand.’

He added that Medline will continue to seek opportunities to support progress in this area, ‘not only through our products, but also through the actions we take around them.’