What do you think would become of us if we were not aware of caring for the environment? Well, we wouldn't be able to enjoy nature and fantastic landscapes because they simply wouldn't exist. Therefore, it is vitally important that we all become aware and what better place to start than by taking action in your dental practice.
At Dentaltix we have some news to announce that will help us to be more environmentally friendly. We have replaced our original shipping bags with 70% recycled plastic ones! What's more, today we're revealing a series of tips to reduce plastic consumption in your dental practice.
But that's not all, we work with DHL,a leading company in sustainable initiatives in the logistics industry. Because unity makes strength! Read on as we tell you about all the initiatives we are carrying out to do our bit in the fight for the sustainable revolution.
The new Dentaltix delivery bags are now being rolled out. They are made from recycled materials that help conserve the environment. Specifically, they are made from 70% recycled plastic, which generates no new waste. Ready to see the design of the bags? Check it out below!
But we don't stop there. We want to improve day by day and, to do so, we carry out the following actions with the aim of being more environmentally responsible:
- We reduce the use of plastics, packaging and paper both in invoices and catalogues.
- We reuse cardboard boxes.
- We reduce energy consumption by only using lights when they're essential.
- We are committed to environmentally responsible brands such as VIDU.
- We are working to expand the range of ecological products for your everyday life.
Top 3 best selling eco-friendly products at Dentaltix.
Eco-Friendly Disposable Paper Cups
These cups from VIDU offer dental clinics a more sustainable alternative to traditional plastic cups, one of the most commonly used products in the clinic for rinsing patients' mouths. These paper cups allow us to eliminate single-use plastic cups and replace them with cups made using biodegradable materials.
VIDU cups are made from recycled kraft paper with virgin fibres and can be recycled through normal paper waste collection points.
Features of the Ecological Cups:
- The most sustainable alternative to avoid plastic cups.
- Made from recycled kraft paper and virgin fibres.
- Disposable and 100% recyclable.
- Capacity: 100 ml (4 oz).
- Plastic Neutral. Plastic footprint = 0g. *Certified by Gravity Wave.
- Weight of plastic used in their packaging = 2 g.
- Weight of plastic collected = 2 g.
- Available in 50 and 1000 pcs.
Coloured Disposable Saliva Ejectors (100 pcs)
Ejectors are one of the most commonly used disposable plastic products in the dental practice. For hygienic and sanitary reasons it is difficult to find an alternative made of another material. VIDU works to always offer the most responsible solution and, while maintaining the necessary hygienic standards in the clinic, always seeks a balance between fair price and care for the planet.
In the case of the saliva ejectors, while working on investigating alternative solutions, they have reached an agreement with The Gravity Wave whereby every month they collect the same amount of plastic from the Mediterranean Sea, its coasts and ports as they generate.
Features of the Saliva Ejectors:
- They are soft and flexible and do not collapse when bent, ensuring a free and constant flow.
- Thanks to the shape of their tip, they provide optimal suction without clogging and without tissue aspiration.
- Decontaminated, by UV treatment.
- Designed to keep the oral environment dry and facilitate work in the area without fluids.
- Patented process: non-contaminated.
- Its metallic thread allows for easy handling and bending to give the desired shape to the vacuum.
- With rounded and removable cap to avoid injury to the patient.
- It does not damage the patient's soft tissues.
- Foldable. Uniquely adapts to each patient's mouth.
- Weight of plastic used = 400g.
- Weight of plastic collected = 400g.
Self-adhesive Sterilisation Pouches for Dental Instruments (200 pcs)
Sterilisation pouches are one of the most commonly used plastic products in the dental practice and one of the few products that can be recycled. If the package is clean after use the packaging can be recycled, but the paper and the laminate must be separated from each other. Transparent packaging paper is made from bleached virgin wood fibres and can be recycled if a waste paper collection programme is in place.
Features of the the Sterilisation Pouches:
- Self-adhesive.
- Single-use.
- Made of 100% recyclable material.After use, having been sterilised, and not having been in contact with biological waste, these bags can be recycled through the usual plastic and paper recycling points.
- With Class I, Non-toxic water-based process indicators.
- In steam sterilisation with a temperature between 121°C-134°C; the indicator changes from pink to brown after 30 minutes.
- If sterilisation is performed by ethylene oxide, the colour indicator changes from light blue to yellow/brown, after 100-120 min at a temperature between 30°C-54°C and EO concentration of 600 mg/L.
- Composed of a transparent laminated film (PET and CPP) and medical grade paper.
- Self-adhesive seals to prevent kinking and reduce external contamination.
- Available in different sizes to suit the dimensions of different dental instruments.
- Weight of plastic used = 100 g.
- Weight of plastic collected = 100 g.
How can I reduce plastic consumption in my dental practice?
The environmental impact of plastic consumption is a problem that concerns us all. On average, a dental practice consumes more than 2,000 units of disposable materials a year and 22.3 grams of plastic per patient. If this is multiplied by all the clinics, the figure is staggering. To try to solve this problem, we bring you a series of tips:
- Switch single-use plastics for reusable, biodegradable or reused plastics.
- Use paper or cloth bags instead of plastic bags - compostable bags are another alternative!
- Use protective material and PPE made of washable fabric.
- Replace your vinyl gloves with nitrile or latex ones.
- Try to repair damaged products.
And if you want to go even deeper into this subject. Don't miss the blog "The importance of reducing the plastic footprint in the dental practice". In which we tell you all about the serious problem that plastic consumption causes to our environment and how to reduce it in your clinic.
How does DHL contribute to improving the environment?
In order to be a little more environmentally responsible, we also collaborate with DHL, a global leading brand in the logistics industry, which is extremely focused on sustainability. The company was founded in 1969 and, since then, they haven't stopped growing, reaching new markets and overcoming barriers. They currently operate in more than 220 countries and territories and are leaders in sustainability. Want to find out why? Let us tell you about the actions they are carrying out:
- They use electric vehicles for the last mile deliveries. In total they have driven more than 100 MN km
- 86% of their electricity comes from renewable sources
- They use 28,500 bicycles for last mile deliveries
- They have more than 70,000 employees trained as certified Gogreen specialists.
Source: Virtual Pro
Sustainable actions taken by DHL
The company, a pioneer in sustainability, works with different organisations and delivery companies that enable a high number of environmentally friendly deliveries to be made in various cities in the UK, primarily London. To do this, they use electric vehicles and bicycles which eliminates the usual emissions of conventional modes of transport.
To make a positive impact, DHL runs clean operations to protect the climate. To this end, they plan to invest $7 billion by 2030 to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to meet the science-based targets initiative (SBTi). To achieve these aspirations, they are taking the following actions:
Carbon-neutral buildings
DHL has a large number of physical assets such as office buildings, warehouses, sorting hubs / terminals... Therefore, they seek to leverage the latest green technologies to have carbon neutral buildings in the businesses they have around the world. Their aims in this area are as follows:
- Carbon neutral design for all the company's new buildings
- Increasing the 90% share of green electricity globally and procuring energy directly from sustainable sources
- Implementation of sustainable energy sources for heating in more than 50% of its buildings by 2030
- Convert electricity produced from renewable sources into fuels for its electrified fleet
- Further reduce energy consumption through digitalisation and smart building management systems
Sustainable aviation
Aviation is the area where the greatest savings can be made as it is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the logistics business. Therefore, the measures they are taking to become a leader in sustainable aviation are:
- Use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) which results in a significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
- Invest in the latest technology of alternative energy solution assets, with sustainable and low consumption fuel capacity
- Improved efficiency of flight operations
- Supporting innovative technologies
- Use electrification and hydrogen technology
- They promote the offering of environmentally friendly products
Last-mile green deliveries and long-distance shipping
DHL also promotes making it's last-mile deliveries and online routes more environmentally friendly. To this end, they are carrying out the following tasks:
- Switching part of their last-mile delivery vehiclesto electric
- Reduce fuel consumption through permanent network improvements
- Support the development and market availability of electric and hydrogen trucks
Green Portfolio
The ultimate goal is to offer the most comprehensive portfolio of green products and solutions in the industry and to achieve zero emissions. In doing so, they help to reduce emissions at every step of the logistics value chain.
Plastic consumption in recent decades has been very high, so today more than ever it is essential to contribute to this fight and do everything in our power. If you want to know more about VIDU products and their sustainable properties, we recommend you to read the blog: "NEW LAUNCH! VIDU: New sustainable brand for dental products".
To keep up to date with all the latest developments in the dental sector, don't forget to follow us on our social networks! And if you have any questions about these eco-friendly products and solutions to reduce plastic consumption in your practice, please don't hesitate to get in touch! We'd love to hear from you.
We'll see you in the next post!