5 facts on plastic waste

• An estimated quantity of 8.3 billion tons of virgin plastics have been produced worldwide since the beginning of the use of plastic
• Approximately 6.3 billion tons of plastic waste have been generated worldwide since then
• According to experts, the oceans are expected to contain 1 ton of plastics for every 3 tons of fish by 2025 and even more plastic than fish (by weight) by 2050
• Up to 500.000 tons of plastic waste enter the oceans each year in the EU
• Plastic straws are in the top 10 of marine debris

As little as possible, as much as necessary

Particularly for sensitive products used by patients, plastic is an important packaging material as it can be used for sterile manufacturing of sensitive products, it is lightweight, durable and serves as excellent product protection. Compared to other packaging materials, it is cost-sensitive promoting resource-conscious healthcare.

Saving plastic step by step

Fresenius Kabi has reduced the amount of plastic used in its 200 ml EasyBottles in 2011 and again in 2013. By the end of 2019 the straw from our EasyBottles was removed resulting in an additional saving of approx. 70 tons of plastic per year. Furthermore, the rectangular shape of the container itself allows approximately 20% more product per package volume than round bottles.

With this initiative, Fresenius Kabi contributes to the goal of reducing greenhouse gas (e.g. CO2) emissions on a global scale and unnecessary plastic waste. Common plastic straws are in the top 10 of marine debris. Single-use plastics contribute to 60 to 95 % of global marine pollution and over 233 marine species have been documented to ingest plastic debris.