ENKORE - Eco Healthcare
Designing a sustainable future for the European Healthcare Sector
The healthcare sector generates 5% of global carbon emissions, with single-use medical devices and packaging—especially plastics—being major contributors. While circular economy principles could help reduce this impact, strict sterility and safety regulations make their adoption challenging. ENKORE aims to tackle these barriers by developing an eco-design framework that integrates sustainability across the entire lifecycle of medical devices and pharmaceutical packaging.
Funded by the Innovative Health Initiative (IHI JU), a public-private partnership of the European Union and leading life science industry associations, ENKORE paves the way for a more sustainable healthcare system by driving innovation in design, use, and end-of-life management.
DURATION: 2025 – 2028
SCOPE: Europe
FOCUS AREA: Resource Circularity
FUNDED BY: Innovative Health Initiative (IHI JU), European Union
Advancing Circularity in Healthcare
ENKORE is a collaborative effort of 39 public and private partners and 13 affiliated members, co-led by Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and Medtronic. Together, they aim to revolutionise the environmental sustainability of healthcare in Europe through cutting-edge eco-design solutions for single-use medical devices and packaging.
By bringing together healthcare companies, technology firms, hospitals, and research institutions, ENKORE fosters collaboration across sectors. The project will implement four demonstrative use cases in five European healthcare systems, accelerating the transition to circularity.
Project Scope
ENKORE will develop a collaborative approach to design an innovative eco-design framework encompassing the entire lifecycle of medical devices and pharmaceutical packaging. This framework aims to reduce the healthcare sector’s ecological footprint by incorporating sustainable practices into design and manufacturing processes while ensuring product safety and efficacy.
Key innovations include:
Catalogues of Key Enabling Materials and Key End-of-Cycle Solutions
to minimise waste and optimise resource use, ensuring devices and packaging are safe and functional
Digital Product Passport
(DPP)
to centralise product information to enhance traceability and support adequate waste management
Environmental and Social Life Cycle Assessment
Stay tuned
Follow ENKORE’s journey as we develop innovative solutions for a more sustainable healthcare sector. Stay updated on project milestones, events, and insights by visiting our website and following us on social media.