Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council

What Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council does

Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council (HPRC) is a private, non-profit technical consortium founded in 2010 to improve the recyclability of plastic products and packaging used in healthcare. Headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and facilitated by Antea Group across the United States and Europe, HPRC convenes more than 30 brand-leading corporate members collectively representing over $1.3 trillion in market value, spanning medical device manufacturers (BD, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, Stryker, Boston Scientific, Smith+Nephew, Terumo), packaging firms (Amcor, Nelipak, Oliver Healthcare Packaging, Sterimed), recyclers and waste managers (Iron Mountain, Brightmark, Casella, Ravago), and resin suppliers (Eastman, LyondellBasell, INVISTA, DuPont). The coalition pursues a value-chain approach spanning product design, manufacturing, hospital use, disposal, and recycling, addressing barriers such as design-for-recyclability, labeling standardization, hospital staff training, contamination concerns, and infrastructure gaps.

HPRC's core deliverables include the Hospicycle Toolkit for hospital program implementation, multi-phase Advanced Recycling Research with a published 2025 white paper, Design Guidance for recyclable medical packaging, and emerging tools such as the Volume and Value Predictive Tool (procurement-data-driven material forecasting) and Recycling Infrastructure Mapping. It also runs multi-stakeholder initiatives including the Houston Regional Recycling Initiative (with Alliance to End Plastic Waste and Vinyl Institute) and the Healthcare Facility Advisory Board (HFAB) that channels front-line hospital feedback into project work. The organization does not develop proprietary commercial technology products; rather, it produces collaborative research, standards, toolkits, and case studies used by members and the broader industry. Notable member-driven technology contributions include Envetec's GENERATIONS non-thermal biohazardous waste disinfection system, which HPRC has showcased as a feasibility study case.

HPRC operates as a membership-funded consortium, with revenue derived from member dues across healthcare, manufacturing, and recycling industry participants, supplemented by facilitation services from Antea Group. Membership is invitation-based through a website inquiry process, with pricing not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is community-led: HPRC grows its member base through industry events, webinars, case study publications, newsletters, and collaborative project participation. The organization's marketing footprint spans a public website with a resource library, LinkedIn and Twitter channels, quarterly newsletters, conference presence (MD&M West, Pharmapack Europe, AMI Plastics Recycling World Expo, thePACKout, Advanced Recycling Summit), and case studies plus white papers serving as bottom-of-funnel conversion assets.

Name

Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council

Legal name

Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council

Website

https://hprc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council (HPRC) is a private, non-profit technical consortium founded in 2010 that convenes more than 30 healthcare, manufacturing, and recycling companies to enable plastics recycling across the healthcare value chain through collaborative research, toolkits, and regional pilot programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Plastics Recycling Services

NAICS

Materials Recovery Facilities (56292), Hazardous Waste Collection (562112), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs) for Global Health (HLAJAOAD)

Keywords

• Healthcare plastics recycling
• Medical waste management
• Circular economy solutions
• Design for recyclability
• Hospital recycling programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: HPRC operates as a private technical consortium funded through membership dues from participating companies across the healthcare, manufacturing, and recycling industries. Each member company pays to participate in the coalition and access collaborative forums, technical resources, and project work.
2. Facilitation Services: HPRC is facilitated by Antea Group, which provides organizational and administrative support to the consortium.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

HPRC is a private, non-profit technical consortium that develops and disseminates knowledge, tools, and collaborative projects to enable plastics recycling in healthcare settings. Its work spans the full value chain—from healthcare product design and manufacturing, through hospital use and disposal, to recycling infrastructure—and is delivered to members and the public via toolkits (e.g., Hospicycle), design guidance, standardized labeling projects, predictive analytics tools, demonstration recycling initiatives, and industry events across the United States and Europe.

Product overview

HPRC is a private technical consortium—not a traditional product company—that offers a portfolio of interconnected resources and projects focused on improving healthcare plastics recycling. Its core offerings include the Hospicycle Toolkit (a comprehensive hospital implementation guide), Advanced Recycling Research (multi-phase technology feasibility studies), and Design Guidance (recyclability guidelines). Supporting these are specialized tools like the Volume and Value Predictive Tool for material forecasting, Recycling Infrastructure Mapping for identifying partner hospitals, and the Sustainable Procurement Criteria framework. Regional initiatives such as the Houston Healthcare Plastics Regional Recycling Initiative serve as demonstration programs, while the Healthcare Facility Advisory Board provides stakeholder feedback. All offerings work together within a value-chain approach spanning product design through disposal and recycling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hospicycle: A comprehensive toolkit developed by HPRC that guides healthcare facilities through implementing a successful plastics recycling program, from initial planning to program improvement.
• HFAB (Healthcare Facility Advisory Board)

Products and services

• Hospicycle Toolkit A comprehensive, multi-resource toolkit developed by HPRC that guides healthcare facilities through implementing, operating, and improving a successful plastics recycling program in clinical settings. Aimed at hospitals and healthcare systems seeking to divert plastic waste from landfill or incineration.
• Design Guidance for Healthcare Plastics Product and packaging design guidelines published by HPRC to help medical device manufacturers, packaging producers, and resin suppliers improve the recyclability of disposable plastic products used in healthcare delivery.
• Standardized Labeling Guidelines for Medical Packaging Standardized labeling guidelines for flexible and rigid medical packaging materials intended to improve identification, separation, and recyclability across suppliers, manufacturers, and downstream recyclers.
• Volume and Value Predictive Tool Predictive analytics tool that uses procurement data to forecast the volume and value of plastic and recyclable material flowing through healthcare facilities, supporting material recyclability assessment and collection partner identification.
• Recycling Infrastructure Mapping Publicly available map of healthcare facilities currently recycling, their recycling partners, and the materials being recycled, helping manufacturers, hospitals, and recyclers identify infrastructure and opportunities.
• Sustainable Procurement Criteria Harmonized procurement language and standardized group purchasing organization (GPO) questionnaire criteria for sustainable practices in healthcare plastics, intended for use by healthcare providers and suppliers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Less than 5% of healthcare plastics are mechanically recycled in North America and Europe, indicating significant opportunity for improvement
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

25 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Houston MethodistcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2026Houston Methodist, a leading academic medical center and seven community hospitals in the Greater Houston area, joined the Healthcare Facility Advisory Board (HFAB) and serves as the lead healthcare network for the Houston Regional Recycling Initiative. This initiative aims to create a model program for effective collaboration and responsible plastic recycling practices within a hospital network that can serve as a blueprint for other regions.
• BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 May 2026Medical device manufacturer BD partnered with cleantech company Envetec in a feasibility study demonstrating that polystyrene and other medical plastics can be safely disinfected and recycled into high-quality manufacturing feedstock in a closed-loop system. HPRC facilitates this collaboration as part of its ecosystem.
• Envetec Sustainable TechnologiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 May 2026Cleantech company that partnered with BD on a feasibility study demonstrating closed-loop recycling of polystyrene and other medical plastics. Envetec's GENERATIONS technology provides non-thermal treatment of biohazardous waste into recyclable polymer feedstock. Joined HPRC in October 2024.
• Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024AEPW is collaborating with HPRC on the Houston Healthcare Plastics Regional Recycling Initiative, working to demonstrate cross-value-chain collaboration and divert single-use plastics from landfill or incineration through a regional hospital recycling program.
• Vinyl InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partner in the Houston Healthcare Plastics Regional Recycling Initiative, contributing to the collaborative effort to establish effective plastic recycling practices within Houston hospital networks.
• Antea GroupcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAntea Group serves as the facilitator of HPRC, providing organizational, administrative, and strategic support to the consortium. The group has facilitated HPRC since its founding, including managing US operations from Denver and European operations from the Netherlands.
• Practice GreenhealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecommended partner organization for healthcare facilities seeking guidance on medical plastic recycling and sustainability initiatives. Practice Greenhealth focuses on environmental stewardship in healthcare.
• Health Care Without HarmminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational NGO focused on environmental health and justice in healthcare. Listed as a recommended partner organization for healthcare sustainability resources.
• New Plastics Economy (Ellen MacArthur Foundation)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInitiative focused on circular economy approaches for plastics. HPRC aligns its work with New Plastics Economy principles and recommendations for multi-stakeholder collaboration.
• PLASTICS Industry AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with HPRC on the Chicago regional recycling pilot project, focusing on non-infectious plastic packaging and products from clinical areas of hospitals.
• Johnson & JohnsoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHPRC member participating in the Standardized Labeling project for flexible and rigid medical packaging materials. Represented on the Executive Committee and contributes expertise in medical device packaging engineering and regulatory compliance.
• OlympuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedical technology company and HPRC member participating in the Standardized Labeling project for medical packaging materials.
• StrykercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHPRC member leading the Sustainable Procurement Criteria project alongside W.L. Gore, working to harmonize procurement language and standardize group purchasing organization (GPO) questionnaires.
• Boston ScientificcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHPRC member co-leading the Advanced Recycling Guiding Principles project. Contributes expertise in design for recyclability and medical device packaging.
• AmcorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPackaging firm and HPRC member participating in the Standardized Labeling project for medical packaging materials. Contributes expertise in flexible and rigid packaging design.
• EastmancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHPRC member co-leading the Houston Regional Recycling Program and Advanced Recycling project. Also participating in advanced recycling testing with other HPRC members including Cleveland Clinic, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, and others.
• Iron MountaincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHPRC member since 2022, offers pill bottle and sterilization wrap circular recycling solutions that convert materials into new plastic products or pyrolysis oil. Contributes expertise in circular economy and healthcare waste management.
• DuPontcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member of HPRC since 2010, co-leads the Advanced Recycling Guiding Principles project. Developed Tyvek with Renewable Attribution product using 30% bio-circular feedstock, informed by HPRC collaborative insights.
• BrightmarkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHPRC member and advanced recycling company that participated in testing and analysis of collected plastic hospital waste as part of the multi-year advanced recycling project (2022-2024).
• Cleveland CliniccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading hospital that participated in HPRC's multi-year advanced recycling project (2022-2024), contributing real-world waste collection and analysis from pre-surgical and laboratory areas.
• Ohio State University Wexner Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipated in HPRC's advanced recycling project (2022-2024), providing hospital plastic waste streams for testing and analysis alongside other leading healthcare facilities.
• Sharp HealthcarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipated in HPRC's advanced recycling project (2022-2024) as a collaborative hospital partner providing waste streams for real-world testing.
• Palomar HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipated in HPRC's advanced recycling project (2022-2024) as a collaborative hospital partner in the multi-phase initiative.
• Northwell HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoined Healthcare Facility Advisory Board (HFAB) in October 2025. Largest not-for-profit health system in the Northeast with 28 hospitals and over 104,000 employees, bringing practical experience in waste reduction and sustainable procurement.
• Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-industry consortium focused on sustainability metrics and water stewardship. HPRC participates in joint panel discussions with BIER on collective action and systemic change, as seen at Reuters Responsible Business 2025.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Practice Greenhealth: Membership-based nonprofit helping hospitals and healthcare facilities improve environmental stewardship. Listed as an HPRC recommended partner, with overlapping membership across major US health systems pursuing sustainability initiatives similar to HPRC's mission.
• Plastics Industry Association: Trade association representing the entire plastics value chain. Partnered with HPRC on the Chicago regional recycling pilot and shares HPRC's interest in advancing plastics recycling across healthcare and other segments.
• Vinyl Institute: US trade association for the vinyl/PVC industry. Partner in HPRC's Houston Healthcare Plastics Regional Recycling Initiative, with overlapping concerns about medical PVC recycling and end-market development.
• Health Care Without Harm: International coalition of hospitals, healthcare systems, and advocacy organizations working to reduce healthcare's environmental footprint. Recommended partner of HPRC; overlaps in addressing healthcare plastics waste and broader sustainability topics.
• Ellen MacArthur Foundation (New Plastics Economy): Global thought-leadership initiative promoting circular economy approaches for plastics. HPRC explicitly aligns its work with New Plastics Economy principles and the two share a common mission of multi-stakeholder collaboration on plastics circularity.
• Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW): Cross-value-chain coalition of companies committed to ending plastic waste in the environment. AEPW is a direct partner in HPRC's Houston Regional Recycling Initiative and shares HPRC's convening-coalition model addressing healthcare-adjacent plastics streams.

Regional players

• Sustainable Healthcare Coalition (UK): UK-based coalition of healthcare providers and suppliers driving sustainable procurement and supply chain decarbonization in healthcare. Operates the same convening-coalition model as HPRC but focuses on UK/European procurement rather than plastics recycling.
• Plastics Recyclers Europe: European trade body representing plastics recyclers, focused on advancing plastics recycling and circularity. Comparable to HPRC's recycling-focused workstreams and relevant given HPRC's active EU footprint across nine European countries.

Broad incumbents

• Stericycle: Large publicly traded regulated waste and compliance services company serving healthcare and other sectors. Operates the regulated medical waste infrastructure that sits upstream/downstream of HPRC's recycling ambitions and competes for hospital sustainability budget.

Emerging players

• AMDR (Association of Medical Device Reprocessors): Trade association for the third-party medical device reprocessing industry, addressing single-use device reuse rather than recycling. Operates in adjacent healthcare circularity space with overlapping member ecosystem (hospitals, manufacturers).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/PlasticChat
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/15207650

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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